Jeff Ricker writes on 16 Sep 99,:
> The words of Bertrand Russel ring very true for me here:
>
> "When there are rational grounds for an opinion, people are content to set
> them forth and wait for them to operate. In such cases, people do not hold
> their opinions with passion, they hold them calmly, and set forth their
> reasons quietly. The opinions that are held with passion are always those
> for which no good ground exists, indeed the passion is the measure of the
> holder's lack of rational conviction" (quoted in Schick & Vaughn, p. 103)
This sounds good, especially as a way of discounting the arguments of
people who are passionate about their ideas, but I think it is not so simple.
It assumes that all of the listeners are dispassionate, rational people and it
assumes that the normal state of most individuals is to be calm. I think the
passion someone puts into their ideas has little to do with the quality of the
idea and more to do with the personality of the individual and the reaction of
the listeners. I have read posts from some pretty passionate people on this
list who I believe are quite rational. Sometimes, rational people can get quite
worked up when others don't see things the same way they do. I get most
enthusiastic and passionate about concepts I am teaching when I see blank
faces and I can tell that I am not getting through. I would say that how
deeply an issue affects someone personally is a better predictor of how
passionate they will be.
Rick
Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548
"I can't promise to try but I'll try to try." --Bart Simpson
