正解: BCorrect: B
明確な仮説を持つことで行動と検証が可能になり、反証に応じて修正する柔軟さを併せ持つことが、この格言の本質です。The maxim calls for clear hypotheses that enable action and testing, combined with the flexibility to revise them when the evidence turns against them.
この言葉は未来学者 Paul Saffo が予測の姿勢として広めたものです。曖昧な意見は検証できず、学習も生みません。一方で強い意見に固執すると、確証バイアスによって反証を無視するようになります。両者の中間として、「明確な仮説を立て、それを積極的に検証し、証拠に応じて捨てる」姿勢が推奨されます。これは科学哲学者 Karl Popper の反証主義、すなわち仮説は反証可能な形で提示され、反証に耐えたものだけが暫定的に受け入れられるという考え方と通じます。選択肢Aは「弱く持つ」を誤解しており、批判の質を問わず撤回するのは学習ではありません。Cは「強い意見」だけを取り出した頑固さです。Dは行動を無限に先送りし、不確実な環境では致命的です。The phrase was popularized by futurist Paul Saffo as a stance for forecasting. Vague opinions cannot be tested and produce no learning, while rigidly held strong opinions lead to ignoring disconfirming evidence through confirmation bias. The recommended middle path is to form clear hypotheses, test them actively, and discard them as evidence dictates. This echoes Karl Popper's falsificationism, in which hypotheses are stated in refutable form and only those that survive attempts at refutation are provisionally accepted. Option A misreads 'weakly held' as capitulating to any criticism regardless of its merit. Option C keeps only the 'strong' half and becomes stubbornness. Option D postpones action indefinitely, which is fatal in uncertain environments. Jeff Bezos has cited this stance as a hallmark of people who are right a lot.
この格言は「どの程度の反証で意見を変えるべきか」を示していないため、都合よく解釈されがちです。頻繁に意見を変えると周囲からは一貫性がないと見られ、逆に「弱く持つ」と言いながら実際には固執する自己欺瞞も起こります。また地位の高い人が「強い意見」を述べると、それだけで議論が終わってしまう場合があります。The maxim does not specify how much disconfirming evidence should trigger a change, so it is easily interpreted to suit oneself. Frequent reversals look inconsistent to others, while people who claim to hold views weakly often cling to them in practice. When a senior person voices a 'strong opinion', it can end the discussion on its own regardless of how weakly it is meant.
意見を述べるときに「この意見を変える条件」と「確信度(例:70%)」を同時に表明する習慣をつけます。確信度を数値化すれば、新しい証拠でどれだけ更新したかを自他ともに確認できます。地位の高い人は意見の前に「これは仮説であり反論を歓迎する」と明示し、実際に反論で考えを変えた例を公に示します。When stating an opinion, also state the conditions that would change it and a confidence level, for example 70 percent. Quantified confidence lets you and others see how much new evidence shifted your view. Senior people should preface opinions with 'this is a hypothesis and I welcome challenge', and visibly change their minds in response to good counterarguments.