
Know whom to trust when you hear multiple opinions
Gabriel Wilenskyhow to Know whom to trust
How can you tell how much weight you should give to these opinions or tentative truths? Are all opinions equal? Of course not. Some opinions are better than others. They carry more weight depending on who holds them. How can you tell whom to trust? There are people who may be subject matter experts and thus their opinions on that subject cannot be put at the same level as that of a layperson.
When you are faced with multiple opinions you must evaluate the credibility of your sources. Once you know how credible each is you can ascertain whose opinion is the most reliable and you will know whom to trust.
How can you determine credibility?
There are several factors you must take into account to determine how credible a source may be:
- Your previous experience with that source: Have you dealt with them before? Do you have any reason to doubt them?
- The source’s potential bias: Does the source have any vested interest in expressing one opinion over another?
- The source’s level of expertise: What are the source’s credentials? What makes them qualified to express an opinion on the subject?
Let’s go through an example of an analysis we can make when we are presented with an argument so we can ascertain its validity. Take a look at the old Coca-Cola™ ad below:

Biases are a reflection of our opinions and of our views on life. It’s perfectly normal and very common for someone’s views to be colored by his biases.
- It’s delicious
- Relieves fatigue
- The most refreshing drink in the world
- Better than ginger ale, seltzer or soda
The first claim, that it’s delicious, is totally subjective and thus cannot be questioned or disputed. The second claim, that it relieves fatigue is a questionable one. How do we know? Has there been any clinical studies made in which some tired people drank Coca-Cola and some others drank generic colored sweet soda water and then they somehow measured whether the ones that drank Coke were less tired? And if so, who were the subjects? And who conducted the study?
How about the third claim? In reality there are multiple sub-claims here: that the drink is the most refreshing, that it’s refreshing, and that those things are true of the entire world.
Same thing applies to the fourth claim: better according to whom? And better in what way?
So, in order to assess how credible a source might be you must evaluate whether they might be biased and you must know their level of expertise on the subject matter at hand. If you dealt with that source before and it proved to be untrustworthy then you can discard it or at least be very skeptical about it. It’s critical you know who makes the claim.
Lets take a deeper look at bias and level of expertise.
How to recognize bias
Biases are very common tendencies people have that make them favor one side of an argument over another, or make them susceptive to hold a prejudice against other sides, or make them partial against something. Biases can manifest themselves in several ways:
- Expressed as direct statements.
- Indirectly in the words chosen to express something.
- In the tone of voice in which the person expresses himself.
- In the choice of facts or examples chosen to illustrate a point.
Biases are a reflection of our opinions and of our views on life.
Ultimately what distinguishes one person holding an opinion from another is what they know about the subject and what that knowledge is based on, that is, facts or just opinions.
Conversely, it is important you recognize your own biases and make an effort to try to be as neutral and as free of prejudice in what you say as possible.
All this takes practice and a conscious effort, but it will pay off in the long run as you are able to build a reflexive bias detector that will get you closer to the truth.
- Excessively positive or negative expressions about the subject.
- Emotionally charged language used to describe the issue.
- Vague or generalized language used to refer to the subject.
- The omission of certain facts, particularly if those facts would go contrary to the position presented.
- The failure to present or cite the sources for the evidence presented.
- The knowledge that the person has something to gain by persuading us of his position.
Example
Let’s say you need to find a good auto mechanic to work on your new Ford Mustang. Since you are new to Mustangs you decide to do a little research to find a good, trustworthy mechanic.
- You check reviews online
- You ask you friend Joe who knows nothing about cars but is very happy with his mechanic, who works on all sorts of brands
- You also ask Jim who owns a Mustang himself and regularly takes it to the track
- You see an ad for an auto repair shop in your local newspaper
Everyone tells you what they think about their mechanics. The ad in the newspaper touts the shop as top notch. You end up with many opinions. How can you tell whom to trust the most?
As a general rule, the greater the level of expertise, the greater the credibility.
Level of Expertise
The other important criteria you should use to determine a person’s credibility is that person’s level of expertise. Generally, the more a person knows about a subject, and the more rigorous that person was in acquiring that knowledge, the more reliable and trustworthy that person will be. That person will be more credible and thus you can feel safer in accepting their opinions. As a general rule, the greater the level of expertise, the greater the credibility.
To come back to the auto repair example we discussed earlier, we can now introduce the criteria of level of expertise in the analysis as that will allow you to further assess the credibility of each source.

CAN YOU TRUST THE PERSON MAKING THAT CLAIM?
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Let’s rank each of our sources based on their level of expertise in the two categories we identified. Use 1 for highest level of expertise and 4 for the least:
Knowledge of car repair:
Online review
Joe
Jim
Newspaper ad
Knowledge of Ford Mustang repair:
Online review
Joe
Jim
Newspaper ad
In order to assess how credible a source might be we must evaluate whether they might be biased and we must know their level of expertise on the subject matter at hand.
We identified several opinions we must consider:
- Online reviews
- Joe’s opinion
- Jim’s opinion
- The newspaper ad
You can quickly pare down the number of opinions by making a brief analysis of how credible each might be. Which one would you say is the least credible? You probably chose the newspaper ad, and rightly so. By definition, an ad is a biased source since they have a vested interest in portraying their product or services in the best possible light. You are not likely to see an ad that speaks negatively about that company or product! Besides, an ad does not tell us anything at all about actual level of expertise.
You can then consider what your friend Joe thinks. He
So, you may arrive at the conclusion that Joe’s opinion is not so trustworthy because he really has no way to make a proper evaluation of his mechanic. Besides, his mechanic works on different brands, and even though he may be very
Lastly, you have Jim’s opinion. Jim is likely the most credible of the bunch because he knows a lot about cars generally (as someone who races), and about Mustangs in particular. People like Jim are likely to have tried many mechanics and if he really likes his that is a
This may have been an obvious example, but the purpose of going through this analysis is so you can understand the process of ascertaining whose opinion is the most reliable and thus know whom to trust. The same method can then be applied to any other situation.

Determining the Level of Expertise
There are some situations in which you must be more thorough in your evaluation of the source’s level of expertise. For example, when choosing a surgeon to operate on your daughter, or a pilot to take you to a remote island, or even an expert witness for a trial, you must use a more systematic and stringent approach to determine the credibility of the person in question, and their level of expertise plays a key role there.
In these situations we we must examine the following five criteria when assessing someone’s level of expertise, and therefore his credibility:
- Occupation
- Education
- Reputation
- Experience
- Achievements
These criteria are listed in no particular order and their relative importance may be different in each case.
We can judge the person’s level of expertise by assessing their education, experience, position, reputation and achievements
Share your thoughts with the Thought Academy community in the Comments section below.
CAN YOU TRUST THE PERSON MAKING THAT CLAIM?
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