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 Originally Posted by Penneywize
See this is sort of an example of what I'm talking about. You cite Bill Gates as being a good guy, though qualify it by saying "from what I can see", implying it may not be true.
Of course, there isn't anything wrong with saying that. But I highly doubt that if you had a comparable amount of (positive) information about another individual, say some scientist or musician or what have you, that in talking about their personality you would go out of your way to say "from what I can see". Essentially implying that they might be a sociopath, you just haven't seen anything to pro yet.
... ? What a bizarre picking of nits...
I do think Bill Gates not only through his foundation but through the technological achievements of Microsoft, that his contributions to society are positive-sum for sure. I would find it very hard to argue that somebody is a sociopath and is donating piles of money into initiatives to fight world hunger and so on, not out of genuine altruism, but as a front to hide his evil monster, or something seemingly absurd like that.
I add words like "as far as I can see" or "to the best of my knowledge" whenever I can't with a good conscience be an authority on any subject, be it judgment of human character, the best betting line in poker, how best to prepare a lasagne... I guess I shy away from making strong assertions - I question just about every damn thing I ever do or say. It can be a nuisance, but people close to me tell me that - perhaps as a result of this trait - I'm penetratingly thorough with anything I do.
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