Principle of Charity

Benefit: Better Judgement
Prerequisites:

Description

The principle of charity is about assuming the best in what someone says. We often think someones argument has logical fallacies or irrationality. But we should be aware that their arguments came from rational and logic. This will increase the accuracy of the argument and we'll be able to move forward to a more correct outcome.

When you apply the principle of charity, you're looking for what's right rather than what's wrong.

Practice

  1. Write the argument
  2. Write down uncharitable way of approaching
  3. Write down charitable way of approaching

Example 1 - Misswritten Arguments

  1. Alex: The human race has managed to land somebody on Mars and split the atom, therefore, we should be able to do something simpler, like redistributing the world’s substantial food supplies so that the poor get plenty.
  2. We haven’t managed to land somebody on Mars. Since it has a false premise, the argument couldn’t be either sound nor cogent. So it’s a bad argument.
  3. The human race has managed to land somebody, not on Mars, but on the Moon. Surely Alex also knows that, and must have made a mistake.

Example 2 - Suppressed Information

  1. Quinn eats regularly at McDonald’s, so Quinn doesn’t care about the environment.
  2. Quinn eats regularly at McDonald’s. Anybody who eats regularly at McDonald’s doesn’t care about the environment. Therefore Quinn doesn’t care about the environment.
  3. Quinn eats regularly at McDonald’s. Most people who eat regularly at McDonald’s don’t care about the environment. Therefore, probably Quinn doesn’t care about the environment.

Example 3 - Suppressed Conclusion

  1. There are lots of known cases of discrimination against gay academics that are out in their work environment. Do you really think that it’s safe to be out?
  2. There are lots of known cases of discrimination against gay academics that are out in their work environment. Therefore, It’s unsafe for all gay academics to be out in their work environment.
  3. There are lots of known cases of discrimination against gay academics that are out in their work environment. Therefore, probably It’s unsafe for most gay academics to be out in their work environment.

Example 4 - Overly Charitable

  1. John was supposed to submit his project by Friday, but he missed the deadline. Therefore, he is unreliable and cannot be trusted with important tasks.
  2. John missed the deadline, which means he cannot be trusted to complete important tasks. He probably doesn't care about his responsibilities and is not reliable.
  3. John missed the deadline for the project, which is unlike him since he usually completes his work on time. Maybe he encountered some unforeseen circumstances or faced some difficulties that delayed his work. Let's talk to him and find out what happened before making any conclusions about his reliability.

References

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/logical-and-critical-thinking/0/steps/9148