Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

You said:

    "Because part of the process of saying that something is wrong is being willing to learn that maybe you are the wrong one."
So which is it? Are they wrong for sure, or are you willing to learn that you may be the wrong one?


Saying that something is wrong doesn't imply (at least for me) that you're 100% sure that it's wrong. I always consider colloquial affirmations to carry an implicit degree of confidence, which is rarely 100%, and I often try to make that explicit by phrasing it like "I think that ...", etc.

So, yeah, I don't see a conflict on thinking something is wrong, pointing it out, and arguing for change, and at the same time be open to be convinced that it wasn't, in fact, wrong.


    Saying that something is wrong doesn't imply (at least for me) that you're 100% sure that it's wrong.
This is wrong. Words have meanings.


I'm sorry, I genuinely do not understand your point. If I think something you say is incorrect, and I say "Hey, I think this is not right. Not 100% sure, but I think it isn't", you're saying that this is not "saying that something is wrong"? English is my second language, so, I might be missing some nuance.


    English is my second language, so, I might be missing some nuance.
Indeed you are, but had I known English was your 2nd language it would have made more sense and I probably wouldn't have even corrected you since your English is very good.


Can you elaborate what exactly is the nuance I missed?


Wrong = not correct.

Telling someone they are wrong, means you know for a fact that they are wrong.

It does not mean you think they may be wrong.

It is binary.

You do not tell someone they are wrong if they may in fact not be wrong.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: