Skeptical Zen 103: merely wrong

Idiots! Morons! Sheeple! How can they think that?! Are they stupid? Those dipshits!

Or worse… maybe they're lying? Maybe it's part of scam! They're trying to maneuver the facts around to make money! Or gain control! It could be part of a conspiracy.

Yup, they must be idiots or assholes! …

Or maybe, just maybe, they're merely… wrong? They might just have an incorrect idea – an incorrect belief. They hold that belief for invalid reasons, certainly, but maybe that's all it is? They're not lying, not stupid, not evil: they're merely… wrong? The idea would still be incorrect of course, but there'd be no stupidity or malintent required…

Sure, that's not as much fun, but it's much easier on the spleen.