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Everybody Has an Opinion

Opinions are ideas that we grab as they are flying by in the mind at the time the need for an opinion exists.

Considered opinions are based upon some thought and study; they are developed before the need for an opinion exists or after the need exists but the response is delayed until due consideration is accomplished.

Judgments are conclusions reached after careful study and analysis. Judgments are hard to come by and represent the best that is available in the mind at the time needed. Judgments I suspect are often things of pride because they represent my understanding of a matter—they represent what I am about.

Sophomoric judgments: sophomoric—conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature. A sophomoric judgment is created at a special time in a person’s life, it comes after the individual has gained some knowledge, often extensive knowledge, but the individual is not yet a mature adult. It is a phase of life for many of us and apparently just comes naturally. I suspect it is an egocentric impulse that cannot be denied.

I suspect most of us have had the sophomore ecastasy.

An interesting post, Coberst.

I confess that I was going to partially disagree with the first statement - Opinions are ideas that we grab as they are flying by in the mind at the time the need for an opinion exists. The reason would have been because I reckoned that opinions can be gradually developed and modified over time according to the input received personally. Otherwise, opinions are spouted as you say.

But then, you covered my critique by offering sophomoric judgements. Not necessarily constrained to a person's physical maturity but also affected by a person's maturity and experience with the subject. A lot of opinions and judgements are developed as a person receives data, often from the media box in the lounge, without thought for bias or perspective.

Likewise, studies can result in a sophomoric judgement if only one perspective is considered. A person may read one book on a subject and consider themselves sufficiently learned to formulate a final judgement. In fact, it is necessary to read a variety of books and even obtain primary data to obtain a more complete learning of the subject taking in other perspectives. This is particularly so for the social sciences and philosophy.

Open Mind says--"The reason would have been because I reckoned that opinions can be gradually developed and modified over time according to the input received personally. "

Don't you think that my definition of 'considered opinion' covers this type of opinion?

coberst wrote: Open Mind says--"The reason would have been because I reckoned that opinions can be gradually developed and modified over time according to the input received personally. "



Don't you think that my definition of 'considered opinion' covers this type of opinion?


No. Not in the context that I am thinking. Rather an unconsidered opinion based upon random input. Each input would modify the person's opinion without thought being required.

A considered opinion, I would hope, would at least filter the information available and corroborate it with real life examples. A considered opinion is more like a judgement I think.