Human intelligence has the ability to distinguish between meaningful and meaningless. Where people sometimes disagree, is on the question, why something is meaningful – and whether it’s an important meaningfulness. This can be a private or cultural matter, a matter of other interests, or a matter of emotions instead of intelligence.
Sound opinions are opinions, made upon using the mind, being logic, experience, knowledge, compassion, imagination, inspiration and intuition; not upon pride, arrogance, despise, prejudice and unsubstantiated assumptions, desire, greed. In reality, many opinions are not sound, because they are based on such emotions. This goes for everybody, including leaders, politicians and scientists.
We reach agreement on the question, why something is meaningful, based on an analysis made up by the intelligent mind. Then, even if there are cultural differences or other – even conflicting – interests, we are able to see the soundness of others perspectives. We’re getting into trouble though, when we cannot find each other on the basis of the mind. This has to do with the above mentioned emotions. And therefore, it has everything to do with the conscience, with morality.
It is impossible to build sound opinions without morality. To gain insight in the true nature of reality, we use three dimensions. The first dimension is simply perceiving with our senses what there is in the world. The second is, to figure out how they affect each other, to find relations. The third is the simple question, children always pose: ‘Why?’
Where it comes to our own actions, it is easy to see that if we have solid inner moral principles, we are not afraid to ask ourselves ‘why do I do – or want to do – this?’ or ‘why do I have this opinion?’ and to find an honest answer. But if we didn’t realize moral principles, it’s too uncomfortable for the conscience to contemplate this why-question. So then it feels better to push this question away, and to just go ahead. Then, the mind skips the why-question too often and the imagination is not being trained properly. Imagination is the basis for building moral principles, as it is the capability that makes it possible to put ourselves in the others position; to not only see how the other reacts, but also to want an understanding of why they react as they do; to see other perspectives. (1)
Where it comes to science, it is also easy to see, only observing and describing how things work together does not bring about any progress in gaining insight into the ultimate nature of things. We would still think, the sun travels around the earth. First where scientists asked themselves not only what and how, but also ‘Why?’ and started to combine phenomena to answer this why-question, using their imagination, they came up with new ideas that caused breakthroughs. (2)
So now we have those two conclusions: (1) We contemplate the why-question only, if we have solid inner morals, a healthy working conscience. (2) Posing the additional why-question gives insight in the ultimate nature of things. From these conclusions follows that insight in the ultimate nature of things is not possible without morals principles. We can find a confirmation in reality; looking at history, the great scientists with vision who caused breaktroughs in science, were well-known for their integrity.
Developing sound opinions therefore clearly benefits ourselves and others.
Suppose all opinions were sound. Would all diversity disappear and would we agree upon everything? The answer is no, as we do have different interests, different cultures, different work. But this diversity could come to be a more harmonious, orderly diversity instead of a complex, chaotic one. We could have a world, where violence is an exception, democratic decision making processes rather than exercising authorative power is normal, and where we would have truly intelligent science. Some argue, such a world would be boring. It would, if we’d kill all diversity in the process. But we’re harder on our way to do a thing like that when we see others that don’t have our culture, religion, ideology or methods as the enemy and want everybody to adopt ours, than when we love the diversity and use it to our advantage.