To reason or to gain

Besides the fact that I am an awesome blogger, given the fact that I can't even remember when my last post is, I am back and I will get right into it.

Today I heard someone commenting on his own ability to think critically, commenting on how he always took an unbiased view of the world. Yet he went on to say that it was due to this unbiased view that he had no opinion on anything.

After last semesters experiments in the world of critical thinking I have learned some things. Yes it is important to take an unbiased view of issues. But the reason being able to look without bias is so important is because it is only then that we can decide, with certainty and without prejudice, what view we want to take.

In effect, by looking only at the unbiased view of things, this individual has undermined the very reason we try to remove bias. So we can get the big picture, so we can make up our own minds. And for what reason? So that he can continue to claim he is completely unbiased? In my opinion, it is a stupid claim, for no good reason.

I once asked for views on a certain book in a certain forum, claiming I had yet to form an opinion of my own. Besides being accused of attempting to write an essay without reading the novel, I was flamed for not being able to form an opinion of my own. I have grown since then, and know how this matters.

I think of it this way, looking at a new bill being proposed in parliament. You could look at both the pros and cons of passing the bill, take a completely unbiased look at what is being proposed and the possible effects it will have on society. But at the end of the day, what does that mean if you can't decide weather or not to pass the bill. Yes the arguments and examples are rudimentary, but I think I am getting my point across.

By reasoning without opinions, what really is there to gain?