No Judgment?

Have you noticed a trend in people under the age of 40 in using the phrase “no judgment”? It is inserted as a rebuke when someone is discussing a volatile issue, or as a self protective coat of armor before saying something that actually is offensive. The problem with this phrase is that people who use it, like all of us, are in fact making judgments - left and right. But the political climate of the times requires that a code of objective neutrality should prevail in conversation, and - of course - that is patently impossible. Human beings are designed to judge, for better or worse. The beauty of a liberal education (at least in the past) is the training in rhetoric, logic, moral philosophy, history and literature to pave the way toward reasoned empathy. Is that goal possible in 2023? I wonder.

A recent expose on the academic work of two scholars who specialized in exploring root causes and effects of “dishonesty” were, in fact, manufacturing data to support the research ends that they desired. [Francesca Gino and Dan Ariely are featured in Gideon Lewis-Kraus’ New Yorker article, “Big Little Lies”, October 9, 2023] Both professors reject the charge and assert that ‘mistakes’ may have been made but the research stands as valid. One of the gold standards in research ethics is the notion of ‘replicability’ - when other researchers take the same data and replicate the experiment there should be a validation of the findings. None could be found in the many papers published on dishonesty by these two researchers. It seems that the allure of a good conclusion is bait for fudging data in far too many cases. But why should this matter? Who cares about a paper that is trying to prove the point that signing an honor pledge before writing an essay, taking a test, or filling out insurance forms will alter behavior? We all should care about truth, even in the smallest of issues; it is the tiny little nuances of everyday life that reflect our greater moral character. And we should call out those who abandon the moral rules of life. Judgment!

On a far greater level of timely importance is the Israeli-Gaza war. The assertions of war crimes are flying fast and furious, and perhaps most disturbing, being reported as truth before the claims are fully verified. This is the end result of “no judgment” mentality; when truth becomes flexible and/or relative the world falls apart. Reporters are charged with an especially burdensome level of scrutiny when reporting facts, and that simply has not been happening over the last few weeks. Truth matters, and finding ‘truth’ is never an easy task but for journalists it is the key virtue of the profession.