@philosophyminis: A ‘devil's advocate’ is when somebody argues for a position they do not actually believe in, and while most people see it as a debating trick or something annoying people do at parties, it has an interesting historical story, and it is important philosophically. In the Catholic Church, if somebody is nominated for sainthood, the Vatican would appoint an official called the Devil's Advocate. The person's entire job was to argue against the candidate. They were to find every flaw, every doubt, every reason the person should not become a saint But this was not to tarnish the reputation of the candidate, but to strengthen their case. Because a saint that survives the devil's advocate is worth something. It is better to win after being challenged. In his work On Liberty, the philosopher John Stuart Mill says something similar about all of our ideas, because if you believe something, but it has never really been challenged by the best possible version of a criticism, how far do you actually understand or know that belief? And so if no one is willing to argue against your belief, you should invent the objection yourself. Because a belief has never been tested is what Mill calls a ‘dead dogma’ rather than a ‘living truth.’ The job of a devil's advocate is not to destroy your belief, but to question them. Because a belief that has never been questioned is not a strong one. If a belief has survived a questioning and still stands, then you know it is a good one to believe.

Jonny Thomson

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Monday 13 April 2026 17:50:04 GMT