Principle of charity

In philosophy and rhetoric, the principle of charity or charitable interpretation requires interpreting a speaker's statements in the most rational way possible and, in the case of any argument, considering its best, strongest possible interpretation.^[1] In its narrowest sense, the goal of this methodological principle is to avoid attributing irrationality, logical fallacies, or falsehoods to the others' statements, when a coherent, rational interpretation of the statements is available. According to Simon Blackburn,^[2] "it constrains the interpreter to maximize the truth or rationality in the subject's sayings."

^ Normand Baillargeon: Intellectual Self-Defense. Seven Stories Press 2007, p. 78
^ Blackburn, Simon (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 79.

[1] Normand Baillargeon: Intellectual Self-Defense. Seven Stories Press 2007, p. 78

[2] Blackburn, Simon (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 79.

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