Provisionality?

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One of the reasons why people/countries get into disagreements is that both parties hold to the line;

'I'm right, you're wrong'; leaving NO room for negotiation which can result in a 'Diplomatic' crisis.

Provisionality allows a person to hold an opinion (perhaps a very strong opinion) and STILL be open to modifying that opinion.

Words like 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'somewhat' let people know that we don't have enough facts to draw a conclusion and form an opinion or simply that we are keeping an open mind.

What is your experience of provisionality?

That sounds swell.

I use it everyday without realizing it has a term. My opinions/beliefs are ever-changing, especially regarding anything unproven or vague.

I can never assume I have all the facts available, so I will automatically take that stance. Also when you speak in absolute terms, people have a tendency to stop listening.

Sometimes I think I'm not the only aspie but the only human to be like this. Good to hear that I'm not.

I have an aversion to inaccuracy (not as bad as when I was a child) and so I tend to put in such "provisionality" words.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I only came across Provisionality as a named concept a few years ago through a philosophy group that I spent some time with.

It was crystal clear that I HADN'T used provisionality prior to this.

Provisionality could be described as the language of (real) Diplomacy.

I take an eternity sending business emails.

After the 'first draft', I usually have to add a 'greeting' to the start of the message, then add in the necessary (as I see it) provisionality words (to a first draft email that is completely devoid of any provisionality ) , before figuring out which two-word phrase to put on the end of the email to say goodbye.

That's what I like about emails, I get a second and a third shot at good communication, unlike when I am face to face with someone.

Provisionality is very important for me when I am introducing a new idea to clients.

It isn't always easy