1. sunnior

    sunnior New Member

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    What does "conviction" mean in this sentence?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by sunnior, Jan 24, 2009.

    "In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and ideas that differ from those held by the majority."

    Somebody says it means "traditional view", but I'm not quiet sure.
     
  2. lordofhats

    lordofhats New Member

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    You might want to try a dictionary.

    Here it means: a subjective perception, feeling, or suspicion regarding the validity of a concept or hypothesis.
     
  3. madhoca

    madhoca Contributor Contributor

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    All the above, and I would add 'strong belief'.
    I think your friend was confusing the word 'convention' with 'conviction'.
     
  4. EyezForYou

    EyezForYou Active Member

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    I'd say "truth."
     
  5. captain kate

    captain kate Senior Member

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    conviction here means...

    "In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are motivated not by conviction [Firmly held belief. Something that one believes implicitly to be the truth] but by the desire to present opinions and ideas that differ from those held by the majority."
     
  6. othman

    othman New Member

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    Yeah, Kate is right; it is basically something which from their is completely and utterly correct. I'll change the sentence =)

    "In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and ideas that differ from those held by the majority."

    In every different area, the leaders are motivated not by certainty in what they believe, but the desire to give every possible angle on the topic.

    In my opinion that's in simpler wording
     
  7. madhoca

    madhoca Contributor Contributor

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    That sounds good, I'd go with that!
     
  8. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Strong personal belief
     
  9. sunnior

    sunnior New Member

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    Thank you all! I have a much better understanding about it now.
     

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