Do you choose your beliefs, and work backwards to justify it?

[Anonymous]

Abortion, gay rights and international conflicts are topics most people have strong opinions on. How do you develop your strong beliefs on polarizing topics?

I choose what to believe first and justify it after

I build a framework of values first and arrive at my beliefs later

Neither option fits me

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Honestly, I do it through an examination of statistics combined with my personal values I already have. I’m pro-choice because even if I would never personally abort, pregnancy is an incredibly complicated condition and arguably the time of highest risk in a woman’s life. Women as a whole should be able to choose to opt out if they want to. Not to mention that banning abortion does more harm than good on the whole to people who are currently alive.


I was also taught to treat strangers with kindness, that everyone is different and that’s a good thing. There’s also the very real statistics about how banning queerness ultimately does more harm than good, banning same-sex marriage is pointless, banning transgender hormone replacement therapy is also incredibly harmful for everyone not just bc banning medicine based on a personal disagreement with no significant risk is a terrible idea, but it makes it that much harder for people who aren’t trans to access that same medication. The same with banning surgeries, politicians aren’t doctors and should not limit what modern medicine can do. Trans rights are human rights, gay rights are human rights, women’s rights are human rights. These are all conclusions I came to after conducting my own research.

[DonaldDarko]

Typically it isn't that hard. Common sense will do. Abortion is between a woman and her doctor. "Gay" rights is a silly idea from the start, homosexuality is a birth defect we should be doing the research to prevent and treat the condition. Anyone with common sense can see nearly all of these issues clearly.

[Asker]

If two people with different views both say their opinion is common sense, how do you resolve this?

[DonaldDarko]

Sometimes both opinions are perfectly fine. If it's something out there like "trans kids" or "pro life" you'll know right away which one is wrong. Usually one party is mixed up in some werido cult like ideology. Typically they're selling something that hurts people.

[Cormac995]

I do research from what the left is saying, the right is saying, and the center is saying then make up my own mind based on the info provided. I'm sure this will shock a great many of you, but fox and CNN are both constantly lying through their teeth.

[SmokinAces2000]

I inherently don’t care if two consenting adults fuck each other and I inherently believe that someone should have a say in what grows in their bodies especially if it can kill them. I shouldn’t even have to justify those believes. They should be common sense but unfortunately they aren’t.

[DrPepper12]

I dont "chose" rather I'm guided by philosophy , gut instinct, ethics, morality, precedent, maximumilism, utilitarianism, stoicism, etc to a decision.

[CaptanHellams]

I build a framework of values first and arrive at my beliefs later

[exitseven]

I use my gut. I trust my own two eyes.