Researching every statement you make...

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I have the habit of constantly looking up facts to support (or refute) myself before/when I am making a statement. Does anyone else do this?

I have been accused of trying to prove everyone wrong or trying to prove myself right, but I really just try to find the facts. If I find facts that do not support my opinion, I will withdraw my statement. I do this because of a fear of being wrong. It just seems like a really stupid idea to make claims without finding out if they are correct or not. So when I say something and someone else says that's not right (or vice versa) I look it up and try to find several sources with which to decide which one is correct. If I were to make statements and find out later that they were wrong, I would feel like a fool so I try to verify them right away so I can either withdraw my statement or prove my point.

I was just told today that this is an arrogant thing to do. I would say, personally, that I feel the opposite. I would say that the arrogant person is one who does not verify their facts but insists on them anyway. I would say that I actually have very little faith in myself and what I have been taught so I am constantly looking up things to make sure that what I am saying is accurate or to be able to correct myself. But that is not what I am hearing from others. I was told that I am arrogant because I am afraid of being wrong and most people don't mind so much.

Please share your opinions on the subject!

Thanks

I find that particularly in political discussions, it takes a lot of work to find all of the facts. One side may state something that is indeed a fact but fail to mention another fact that mitigates the first. I had a housemate once who managed to win political arguments by yelling and implied intimidation (moving towards you in a threatening manner) and always prefaced his statements with "Statistics prove etc. etc.". Well, statistics can be manipulated to prove many different things. If I'm going to have a discussion about PP or R, I would prefer it to be two people asking each other questions and then listening. Arguing is counterproductive because it's human nature to be too busy trying to win than actually listening to the other person. I think it is admirable to want to back up your statements mitharatowen. Perhaps your enthusiasm is being mistaken for aggression.

I do this all the time. I really don't to say anything unless I am very sure of what I am talking about. I also find it foolish to advocate for an opinion unless one already has a strong foundation with which to build an argument. I also find myself noting out loud when I am saying something that is speculative.

Whatever I say, I try to find what is right. I try to hold a model in my head of the state of the world, I try to keep it as up-to-date as I can. However, my memory is not brilliant and my capacity to put everything together to make useful conclusions isn't too good either, there may also be errors in the things I learn, so I recognise that the best I can usually manage, without looking things up, is only an approximation. In short, I get things wrong a lot, and so I like to research things whenever possible, especially online, where you have the chance to trawl Google and Wiki before saying anything.

I had that phase. The sad fact is that people mostly don't appreciate that kind of thinking (that is, they are idiots, and don't want to be reminded of it, or, at least, don't want it to be seen as a weakness, but something normal, something that they can be proud of (it creates some interesting paradoxes in thinking (some of them discussed by the OP (I should stop with the parenthesis (I like Lisp (OK, I should really stop)))))). Also, that kind of detailed consideration is a bit of an overkill for a lot of topics, because it detracts from time that would be better put to use considering something else. Also, expressing such consideration is best reserved for people who appreciate it.

Sorry for the liberal use of parenthesis.

I don't know how it could be seen as arrogant to make sure that what you say is correct. Perhaps the accuser doesn't have a good vocabulary and is trying to use words without knowing their meaning?

I try pretty hard to keep my words accurate. I knew another guy who was very similar - it does seem to annoy some people....one lady accused him of "hiding behind the facts"

I've been involved in science all my life, and was taught to be rigorous and precise about what I said. I've always felt it to be a superior way of working.

uh do not remind me. my mind is constantly racing and in pain from not knowing everything. i mean the problem is that even if you research everything, some things are just not known. important things, like how to raise a child, should one get a vaccine or not, what is harmful and in what dose (yes I know recommendations but if you dig through the original research you see there are lots of assumptions and holes). lots of it is probability game. i hate it, i daydream of inventing an instrument that would be able to analyze all the molecules around and inside a person. sadly we are still pathetic monkeys and don't know a sh**.

I do this a lot, not always but most of the time.

It's a good habit to have though, making sure you're not full of crap. If only more people used Google for something besides looking for funny pictures/stories and porn.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I feel exactly the same way as most people here. @ leejosepho, I did not mean to indicate that I was afraid of what people would think of me. I, too, just want the facts of a matter to be known. I am not afraid someone will think I'm stupid or wrong. I am afraid of actually being wrong and talking about something incorrect which would, in fact, make me stupid in that particular case.

ToughDiamond wrote:

I don't know how it could be seen as arrogant to make sure that what you say is correct.

NTs are very irrational in such matters.

ToughDiamond wrote:

Perhaps the accuser doesn't have a good vocabulary and is trying to use words without knowing their meaning?

That, and he thinks you are doing the same. It's called projection (when someone projects his own ideas onto someone or something else (NTs to it all the time, and aspies don't (that's why psychoanalysis doesn't work on us))).