“I think…” “I believe…” “I feel…” “...for me.” “...in my opinion.” “...according to me.” “...from my experience.” Disclaimers of subjectivity, often used and impulsively invoked as if they are disfluencies, serve a few major functions. The functions weaken the meaning of what is expressed in terms of reason. Importantly, the functions dismiss any natural impulse to look for an argument. Many individuals speak them pre-reflexively, politicians employ them strategically, and the next generation parrot the practice compulsively unless they stop to examine the meaning and cause of what they are doing through these expressions.
Disclaimer of Subjectivity
Disclaimer of Subjectivity
Disclaimer of Subjectivity
“I think…” “I believe…” “I feel…” “...for me.” “...in my opinion.” “...according to me.” “...from my experience.” Disclaimers of subjectivity, often used and impulsively invoked as if they are disfluencies, serve a few major functions. The functions weaken the meaning of what is expressed in terms of reason. Importantly, the functions dismiss any natural impulse to look for an argument. Many individuals speak them pre-reflexively, politicians employ them strategically, and the next generation parrot the practice compulsively unless they stop to examine the meaning and cause of what they are doing through these expressions.