If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.
Edward TufteRead
I don't think fairness means that you give equal time to every point of view no matter how marginal. You weigh the sides, you do some truth-testing, you apply judgment to them.
Interpretation
Fairness involves evaluating the validity of different viewpoints rather than treating all opinions equally.
In this quote, Bill Keller emphasizes that true fairness requires discernment and critical thinking. It is not about giving equal weight to all perspectives but rather assessing their credibility and importance through truth-testing and careful judgment. This approach encourages a more nuanced understanding of complex issues rather than a simplistic, egalitarian stance that may undermine significant truths.
In practice
During a debate on social issues, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of evaluating arguments critically.
If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.
The trouble with putting armor on is that, while it protects you from pain, it also protects you from pleasure.
A half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.
What suffering has taught me is the uselessness of suffering.
Earnest in practicing the ordinary virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow himself such license.
I could do one show after another in China for the rest of my life and still die ignorant. There's a lot of places left to go.
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