The Clinical Attitude (adapted from Peter Suber)

1. Be willing to recognize strength in arguments whose conclusions you reject and weakness in arguments whose conclusions you accept.


• The clinical attitude is the willingness to look for truth regardless of its consequences for our interests.
• Though we may care deeply whether a certain conclusion is true or false, as philosophers we should know that the reasoning that supports it in a argument might be strong or weak.
• We should be able to examine that reasoning and leave the question of the truth of the conclusion temporarily to one side
• The truth of statements is independent of the validity of reasoning
• A true conclusion can be supported by invalid reasoning
• A false conclusion can be supported by valid reasoning


2. First make an accurate diagnosis. Then worry about how to cope with the news.


• To examine the validity or soundness of an argument is to attempt to discover the truth.
• You should be able to diagnosis the strength of an argument even if you are undecided about the truth of the conclusion.
• Whether you agree or disagree with the conclusion is not only unnecessary and irrelevant to this task, it is distracting.


3. Be willing to change your mind in the face of good reasons.


• Inquiry is not about vindicating our pre-judgments or prejudices
  • It is about following the force of evidence and reasoning
• Focus on validity and soundness, not on your agreement or disagreement.
• The question isn't whether you agree or disagree but whether you should agree or disagree.
• A sound argument is sound even if you reject its conclusion.
• An unsound argument is unsound even if you accept its conclusion.