Another rule of thumb I would add is that the instant your opinion aligns with the majority….its time to rethink.
Humans like to fit in, and will do anything to not be pariahs and be outcasts. Blame evolution. Sometimes majority opinions are harmless. It’s not unreasonable that many people will agree on a self evident truth, or even enjoy something popular.
Or maybe your evolutionary instinct to be part of a group was hijacked and you only believe something because most people do. And so do they. But that idea was implanted by someone who is trying to manipulate you, and didn’t occur naturally as you thought.
Often most people are infact wrong.
Its best to always have a bit of humble agnosticism about these things-especially for subjects you don't have either personal experience with or haven't actually studied-for example I spent my childhood reading history, and while I am not a professional historian-I have a far better grasp on the broad sweep than most people. So, if someone says "Napoleon fought in the 1848 revolutions with machine guns to kill Hitler"-I automatically know that's utter nonsense.
This isn't the case with say-quantum physics or botany. Someone could be bsing me on these subjects and I will readily admit I have next to no knowledge base to know they are. There's nothing wrong with being confident of your knowledge, but one should always be conscious of its limits.
"I'm honestly not that well read on X subject-maybe this is right, maybe its not"-there's no shame in admitting ignorance. Being honest about your limits means you won't be taken in by people exploiting either your fear or vanity.
One should also be honest about why one believes or disbelieves something-is it out of contrarianism, is there some emotional or irrational need driving your belief or lack thereof, is your identity tied to a belief that you want to be true?
This doesn't mean one has to self abase or stop believing-but no one is without their blind spots and weaknesses, so be honest at least to yourself.
And finally-be willing to actually think, use basic common sense, ask questions, and don't swallow something just because someone says it with either a credential next to their name or they say with it with confidence.
Its not foolproof, and in the twisting seas of constant information warfare you end up feeling exhausted for keeping the effort-but it will ensure you don't become a redditor.
