by Nathan Halfpenny

Created on: January 09, 2009

First off, I would like to point out that stating that people like to assume, is an assumption all by itself. But to answer the question of why people like to assume one need not look too far. Simplicity is probably the best way to put it. It is easy to assume. When a story is posted in the newspaper detailing a man who was arrested for assault, it is quick and easy to assume that the man is guilty and that he most likely deserves whatever punishment he is dealt. Learning that perhaps he and his wife were out on a date and were initially assaulted by three other men only to fight two of them off and unleash his frustrations and anxiety on the one individual that wasn't able to get away from the botched mugging takes more time. It requires is to discover more about the topic and this takes time, and perhaps worst of all effort.

In addition to saving time, assumptions keep us at a distance from the topic at hand, it keeps the experience very impersonal. Using the same example as before, it is extremely easy to sentence a man convicted of assault to prison when the evidence is overwhelming against him, we assume that he is guilty and that's all there is to it. When we learn about all of the additional factors at play, it becomes a much more difficult task. In addition to all of this people are inherently judgmental, this is not to say that this is a bad thing. Assumptions are how we get through the day without stressing every single detail. We take the evidence we have available to us and use it to make the fastest most accurate decision at the time. This process is repeated hundreds if not thousands of times of a day, consciously or not. We cross the street assuming that no one is going to come speeding around the corner at 80 miles an hour, we fly across country assuming that the airplane isn't going to crash and we drive to work assuming that the bridge we need to cross will hold strong. Why? Because everyday we see thousands of other people do the exact same thing with success. If bridges began collapsing each day and every plane that took off ended in a ball of flames, no one would bridges would be left uncrossed and airlines would go out of business even quicker than they already are. Assumptions are quick and easy ways to manage the day's tasks and although they are not always correct, we all seem to be under the assumption that they work well enough.

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