How to Form an Opinion

When I'm helping new developers, I often hear a familiar question: "Which is the best programming language?" They want a definitive answer, a shortcut to expertise. But I've learned that the question itself reveals a fundamental misunderstanding about how real opinions are formed.

I can't tell you which language is "best." That answer only makes sense the longer you code. But I can tell you how to form your own genuine opinion on any complex subject, whether it's programming languages, political candidates, or investment strategies.

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Have you ever seen a catchy video title and jumped straight to the comments before watching the video? Or scrolled past a news article on social media, never clicking on it but heading straight for the comment section? I know I have. Forming your own opinion takes time, so we often take shortcuts, adopting the perceived consensus. It's tempting to think that people with more time and expertise can give us a fully formed opinion faster than we can develop one ourselves. Sometimes, we even react instantly to signal our morals rather than engage with nuance, declaring something "evil!" without further thought.

We often confuse social alignment – simply agreeing with our peers – with genuine judgment. But an opinion isn't a badge to wear; it's a hypothesis to test.

It's often said, "don't judge a book by its cover," but a cover does offer a signal. It's a distilled hook, useful, but insufficient for true judgment. Every complex subject has its "cover": the memes, the reputation, the surface-level takes that circulate in comment sections and Twitter threads. These shortcuts might point us in a direction, but they're not real opinions.

A true opinion requires reading the book: doing the work, experiencing the subject firsthand, and feeling its nuances through direct engagement.

Real opinions form in solitude, not debates. They're slow brews, not energy drinks. If you want to form an opinion on a subject you don't have extensive experience in, you have to do at least a minimum of the work.

Digest It First

Start by digesting foundational information. Seek out authoritative overviews that give you a sense of how vast or niche the subject is. For programming languages, this might mean understanding their design philosophy and intended use cases. For political issues, it could mean reading policy papers rather than opinion pieces. For investment strategies, it means understanding the underlying economic principles.

The key is to build a foundation before seeking opinions. And always avoid hot takes, especially those from fast-paced, short-form content designed for engagement rather than understanding.

Let It Marinate

It's a mistake to think you can make a judgment by simply listing pros and cons. Instead, this is the time to follow the rabbit holes. Read thoughtful articles and posts about the subject. Listen to different perspectives. There's a significant difference between reading an opinion when you have zero knowledge versus when you understand its underlying premises. You might even disagree with some of what you read, but minds are rarely changed mid-argument.

This stage requires patience. Let conflicting viewpoints coexist in your mind. Resist the urge to pick a side immediately.

Discuss, Don't Argue

When you feel you know more about the subject, discuss it, don't argue. This is how we reflect and refine our understanding. Remember that opinions are not facts. What seems "best" in one context might be completely wrong in another.

The Freedom of Not Having an Opinion

When you find yourself knowledgeable enough in a field, you also have to remember an option rarely exercised: you have the freedom of not having an opinion. You don't need a take on everything. When 9/11 happened, MTV famously asked Ja Rule for his thoughts. Why? Some things demand silence, not hot takes.

For a more relatable example, I used to work as a short-term contractor for various companies. When I joined a company, I had no say in their tech stack. Some used different languages and frameworks. My opinion on the tech stack didn't matter when my job was to go in, build features, and fix bugs. I learned to work effectively within constraints I didn't choose.

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To illustrate this process, let me share how I formed my opinion about PHP. A language that's often dismissed or defended with equal passion online.

I didn't start with the memes about PHP being a "fractal of bad design" or the nostalgic claims that "it just works." Instead, I spent years writing PHP code, debugging applications, and building real projects that solved actual problems. I experienced its quirks firsthand: yes, the parameter orders are inconsistent. But I also discovered its strengths. I learned its ecosystem, mastered its debugging tools, and developed muscle memory for its syntax.

Today, I like PHP because it's second nature to me. Coding in it feels like driving a car I've owned for years. You don't think about the pedals or steering; you just go. I can test an idea before fully thinking it through. This opinion isn't based on a comment section or a viral blog post. It's rooted in thousands of hours of direct experience.

But notice what I'm not doing: I'm not arguing that PHP is objectively the best language. I'm sharing an opinion formed through genuine engagement with the subject.

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So, to bring it all home, to form a real opinion, do the work. Try different programming languages. Read about geopolitics from multiple sources. Learn about various investment philosophies. Reflect upon these subjects, discuss them, and form genuine takes based on your own engagement.

For everything else, channel Ja Rule. Say, "I don't know enough to have an opinion."

Our modern world rewards snap judgments. Be slower. Be quieter. Be harder to sway.

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