On the "Need to Be Right"

 

Helen Pluckrose has a new column titled "The Shame of Being Wrong Is Lying to You." I've posted the following comment.

One factor that surely contributes to this problem, or at least interferes with addressing it, is the ambiguous way people habitually use the phrase "being right," which unfortunately is reflected in your column. Having a need to actually be right is an entirely different matter from having a need to be perceived as right, and it's only the latter that can account for the irrational behavior we're discussing. In particular, the survival considerations mentioned in the first part of your column are in no way germane to explaining the need to seem right.

While I'm sure I'm not perfect, this problem doesn't seem to affect me very much. This probably in part results from being autistic and consequently not particularly caring about social standing, and partly from my parents', as Old Left radicals, having modeled being comfortable with being seen as wrong by much of society.