FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICAL FALLIBILISM (Reversible Thought)

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Just now

. We can always be wrong, no matter how fervently we believe our own truth.

. Everyone has the right to be wrong.

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1. The human condition and the possibility of truth

1.1. Perhaps there may be a truth.
1.2. It is even possible that someone, at some point, will hold that truth.
1.3. However, no person can assume with absolute certainty that his interpretation is correct.
1.4. Every belief — even if it may be true — must be held with awareness of its possible error.
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2. Personal epistemic humility

2.1. Whenever an idea, an opinion, or a judgment is formulated, the possibility of being wrong must be contemplated.
2.2. This possibility does not weaken the arguments themselves: it makes them revisable and more honest.
2.3. Our own perceptions are conditioned by our cognitive, emotional and contextual limits; that is why infallibility should not be claimed.
2.4. Revising one’s beliefs is not a defeat, but an update in the face of new understanding or evidence.
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3. Epistemic dignity of the other

3.1. Every person has the right to make mistakes without implying moral or intellectual devaluation.
3.2. The error of others does not make him inferior or exclude him from dialogue: he can even be a source of truth that no one else can see.
3.3. You cannot demand from another the certainty that you do not possess yourself.
3.4. To listen to the other is to recognize that one’s perspective could be partial.
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4. Ethics of disagreement

4.1. Disagreement does not mark superiority or inferiority: it expresses a diversity of experiences and reasoning.
4.2. The purpose of dialogue is not to impose certainties, but to explore possibilities and to approach — together — a broader understanding.
4.3. Criticism is legitimate when it respects the dignity of the interlocutor; Personal disqualification is a form of dogmatism.
4.4. To converse is to admit that the truth, even if it exists, does not need violence to manifest itself.
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5. Rational responsibility

5.1. The acceptance of one’s own fallibility does not exempt one from deciding: one must act with the best available evidence and be willing to correct one’s course.
5.2. Decisions are held firmly, but never arrogantly.
5.3. The search for truth requires openness, constant revision and a willingness to learn.
5.4. Doubt is not a paralyzer: it´s a guide.
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6. Ethical commitment

6.1. Commitment to uphold one’s beliefs with the strength they deserve, but without claiming infallibility.
6.2. Commitment to recognize the right of others to make mistakes, even when it is believed that the other is profoundly mistaken.
6.3. Epistemic arrogance, dogmatism, and intellectual aggression must be rejected.
6.4. Spaces must be fostered where the truth — if it exists — can emerge without fear, without imposition and without humiliation.
6.5. Fallibility does not exempt from moral responsibility: accepting that one can err does not justify harmful, or negligent actions. The possibility of making mistakes should never become an excuse to harm others.
6.6. Awareness of one’s own fallibility must guide decisions towards respect, prudence and consideration of the impact that one’s actions have on others. To err is human; intentional damage is not.
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Final summary
Ethical fallibilism recognizes that truth may exist, but maintains that the most humane and responsible way to approach it is to accept our inevitable possibility of error and the legitimacy of the error of others