The principle “in all things, be objective, in all else, be reasonable, in nothing, be dogmatic” describes a complete philosophy of thinking clearly without becoming trapped by certainty. It recognizes that truth, judgment, and action each require a different posture of mind, and that confusion between them is where most personal and social failure begins.
To be objective in all things is to treat reality as non negotiable. Facts do not bend to preference, identity, or intention. Objectivity demands that you separate what is happening from how you feel about it. It requires intellectual humility and discipline. You observe patterns, outcomes, and incentives. You accept uncomfortable information. You resist the urge to protect your ego by editing reality. This is the foundation of competence. Without objectivity, improvement is impossible because feedback is ignored or distorted.
Yet objectivity alone is not enough to live well. Once reality is seen clearly, you still must decide how to act within it. This is where reasonableness applies. Being reasonable means understanding context, limitations, and human variability. It means recognizing that not every correct action is optimal, and not every truth must be enforced with maximum force. Reasonableness allows you to prioritize, compromise intelligently, and adapt to changing conditions without losing your grounding in reality.
Reasonableness is what prevents objectivity from becoming brittle. It acknowledges that people are not equations and life is not static. A reasonable person knows when to insist on precision and when to allow approximation. They understand that timing, tone, and proportionality often matter more than raw correctness. This is how cooperation, progress, and stability are maintained over time.
The final clause, in nothing, be dogmatic, is the safeguard that keeps the first two principles alive. Dogmatism is the refusal to update beliefs in the face of new information. It is certainty hardened into identity. A dogmatic mind does not seek truth, it defends conclusions. Once dogma sets in, objectivity collapses and reasonableness disappears. Everything becomes about being right rather than being accurate or effective.
Dogmatism is especially dangerous because it often disguises itself as conviction. But conviction that cannot be questioned is not strength, it is fragility. When beliefs are tied to ego, any challenge feels like an attack. This leads to defensiveness, escalation, and eventual disconnection from reality. History repeatedly shows that the most confident systems fail not because they lacked intelligence, but because they lacked the ability to revise themselves.
Refusing dogmatism does not mean having no principles. It means holding principles without worshipping them. It means being willing to refine, adjust, or even abandon ideas when evidence demands it. This flexibility is not weakness. It is the highest form of strength because it prioritizes truth over comfort.
Taken together, these three ideas form a stable framework for thinking and living. Objectivity keeps you honest. Reasonableness keeps you functional. The rejection of dogma keeps you adaptable. When all three are practiced together, decisions become clearer, conflicts become manageable, and growth becomes continuous rather than episodic.
In a world that rewards outrage, certainty, and identity based thinking, this approach is quietly radical. It asks you to see clearly, act wisely, and never confuse belief with truth. That combination is rare, and it is exactly why it works.
