The Opinion Continuum

Every thought you have exists on this spectrum:

Click for larger image

As humans, when we learn more about a topic and gain confidence in an idea, our certainty of it will increase. If we receive information contrary to a piece of knowledge we already have (especially if it carries greater credibility than that of our existing knowledge) we are forced to re-evaluate that knowledge. This results in the idea decreasing in certainty. The point is that although all ideas and data of which we're aware exists on the spectrum, they move around in direct relation to each other. 

You can use this diagram as a tool to help you evaluate your beliefs, what you don’t know, and what you think you know.

Exercise:

1. Copy the diagram (available for free here) 
2. Think of a datum or idea that you find interesting for each of the eight main chambers of the diagram and notate their point on the spectrum 
3. Think of 12 more interesting ideas or points of data and notate their places on diagram. (Add more if you wish -- doing so will give you a more statistically relevant dataset to analyse for insight into the way your think.) 
4. Examine your 20 entries.
   Clusters in particular sections of the spectrum (e.g. Belief) may indicate that you are quick to form beliefs about things that interest you.
   A majority of entries within the Hypothesis Range indicates that you may prefer to scientifically qualify information before permitting yourself certainty of it. 
   A majority of entries at the low end of the spectrum may indicate that you are most interested in topics of which you know little about, perhaps suggesting a love of learning for its own sake. 
   An even spread throughout the spectrum may indicate a balanced interest between self-examination and learning new information. 
5. Are there any ideas or data that you are afraid to question your certainty of? Typically the higher on the spectrum an item is, the harder it is to challenge. The reason for this may relate to cognitive effort: long-held beliefs inform our perceptions of the world, and evidence disproving an idea we had hitherto perceived as factual can force us to re-evaluate other factual perceptions, sureties, and convictions which had used the it as a factual basis. Such an event can be an overwhelming and frightening experience, and to avoid it the human mind will often deny evidence disproving long-held sureties.