Quote Originally Posted by Jock Scot View Post
Or, might it be that those voicing an opinion, (any oppinion) have not come up with a train off thought that is just not good enough to persuade those with a diiffering view to change their mind?
There are differences of opinion and differences of attitude; they are not the same thing. Differences of opinion are open to the possibility of resolution by appeal to fact; differences of attitude frequently are just matters of value. No one has a right to impose his or her values upon another although we are all responsible for the consequences of the values we hold. Respect for others' values, even when they are not one's own and as long as they do not harm anyone else, is one of those values upon which this Forum is based -- as well as expressed in the philosophical tradition represented by John Stewart Mill -- and oddly and ironically perhaps -- the Great Scottish Philosopher David Hume (among others) upon which modern western civilization is based. There is also a difference between being harmed and being offended. Harm is something one does, either to oneself or another; offense is something one takes. No one can be offended if they refuse to take offense and "no true harm can come to a good person in this life or any other" (Socrates).