| I reserve the right to be opinionated, | | | | on everything. |
| to speak, to strongly hold ideas, ideals | | | | And I freely extend the same right to |
| or ideologies, and to advocate them. | | | | you. |
| I reserve the right to make truth | | | | *** |
| claims, to hold positions even if others | | | | Somewhere, sometime, someone decided |
| may take offense. But I will not abuse | | | | that public debate and politics meant |
| others. | | | | you had to assert you knew everything, |
| I reserve the right to be idealistic, | | | | that your worldview had to be simple, |
| optimistic, not cynical or jaded, nor | | | | complete and perfectly ordered, and that |
| comfortably relativistic or postmodern. | | | | everything your opponents thought and |
| Others are free to be any of these. | | | | said was just spin and lies. Well the |
| I reserve the right to believe in things | | | | world is not simple, and my views on it |
| for which there is more hope than | | | | are not simple either. I am passionate |
| evidence. | | | | about some things, interested in many |
| I reserve the right to be wrong. | | | | things, and often ambivalent or |
| I reserve the right to experiment with | | | | conflicted over other things. It is a |
| ideas that I am not sure about. I | | | | shame that more of our public figures do |
| reserve the right to more strongly | | | | not freely assert the right to change |
| advocate ideas than I actually feel. | | | | their minds, to disagree respectfully, |
| I reserve the right to change my mind as | | | | to sometimes be wrong, or to sometimes |
| the world changes. | | | | be silent. Silence from pundits and |
| I reserve the right to hold ambiguous, | | | | politicians - wouldn't that be a change! |
| complex and sometimes contradictory | | | | This bill of rights is fundamentally |
| ideas or ideals in complicated | | | | about the purposes of civil society and |
| circumstances. I have not figured | | | | civil discourse and public debate. You |
| everything out; I never will. | | | | would probably write a slightly |
| I reserve the right to advocate policies | | | | different set of rights for yourself in |
| in one time or situation, and oppose | | | | order to frame, develop and express your |
| similar policies in other times or | | | | ideas. But that is exactly the point. We |
| situations, especially if those policies | | | | may all speak. By speaking and writing |
| - upon testing them - turn out to be | | | | and publishing, we grapple with the |
| ineffective or damaging. | | | | world and its knotted problems. If the |
| I reserve the right to compromise to | | | | world's problems were simple, then smart |
| achieve good, but not perfect, solutions | | | | people would have solved them a long |
| to bad problems. | | | | time ago. The world's problems, |
| I reserve the right to hold ideas that | | | | conflicts and tragedies are fraught with |
| do not fit orthodox ideological molds. I | | | | ambiguity and differing perspectives. |
| refuse to be defined by others' | | | | The power of civil society is the |
| categories or philosophies or terms. | | | | democratic power of multitudes speaking, |
| I reserve the right to be a hypocrite - | | | | discussing, testing and trying ideas. As |
| if what you mean by hypocrisy is to | | | | one set of policies proves itself less |
| really believe in something and advocate | | | | effective, we try others. Some of the |
| it, but not always be able to live up to | | | | proposed ideas, policies or solutions |
| it. | | | | are bound to be wrong-headed, or |
| I reserve the right to disagree with | | | | foolish, or just not work. In that case |
| you, to disagree with my friends, to | | | | I hope I will disagree. If they were my |
| disagree with anyone (maybe even myself | | | | ideas, my speech, or my advocacy, then I |
| in part). I reserve the right to voice | | | | take responsibility for them. Then I may |
| that disagreement openly, but | | | | admit I was wrong and change my mind. In |
| respectfully, by speaking energetically, | | | | many cases, we will simply have to |
| incisively, sometimes passionately, but | | | | disagree. |
| not abusively. | | | | I reserve the right to have opinions and |
| I reserve the right to sometimes be | | | | passionately advocate them, to believe |
| silent - to not have an opinion or an | | | | in idealistic positions, to sometimes be |
| answer, to not advocate a position, to | | | | wrong, to change my mind, to compromise, |
| not define myself, to not assert | | | | to disagree with others, and to |
| expertise. I am not obliged to weigh in | | | | sometimes be silent. |