>[!abstract] >**Strong opinion** means that it is not held lightly nor without reason. **Loosely held** means that it is allowed to evolve as new information comes in that disproves them, in accordance with the scientific principle. Ego must not stand in the way, and the opinion must not be held so strongly that it becomes part of one's identity, and a resistor to change. ### Criticism --- There is nothing wrong with changing one's opinion in the face of new and contradicting data. But is the opinion really held strongly in the first place if it is allowed to change on a whim? If "strong" correlates with "bombastic" (i.e., the opinion is expressed in a very confident manner), it runs the risk of suppressing dissent from those who might think that the person with the strong opinion knows better, or more, about the topic. Others may feel coerced into withholding their criticism of the opinion if it is presented as a strong belief. There is perhaps more merit to the idea if "strong" correlates with "enduring" instead, in the sense that the opinion has withstood the test of time. For example, a physicist may be entitled to declaring general relativity a "strong opinion", because every observation so far is consistent with its predictions, even though we are collectively one single contradicting piece of evidence away from rejecting the theory (like all scientific theories). In that acceptation, "strong" really means "yet to be disproved despite repeated attempts", which suggests a higher-than-average likelihood that the opinion is in fact correct. One approach to reframing a SOLH is to state "I am x% certain that..." which leaves room for backtracking and encourages people with different perspectives to speak up. ## References - Feld, B. (2019, May 23). Bad entrepreneurial cliches: strong opinions loosely held. https://feld.com/archives/2019/05/bad-entrepreneurial-cliches-strong-opinions-loosely-held - Natkin, M. (2019, May 1). Strong opinions loosely held might be the worst idea in Tech. *Glowforge*. https://blog.glowforge.com/strong-opinions-loosely-held-might-be-the-worst-idea-in-tech/