When did we
start confusing our feelings with our thoughts?
I could speculate on this without any foundation, but that’s hardly the
point.
The real point is: Don’t use “I
feel” when what you mean is “I think.”
“Feel” refers to emotion and “Think” refers to an idea.
Here’s an
example. “I feel it is wrong for the prime
minister to threaten to cut funding to theaters.”
The problem
with this construction is that there is no emotion being expressed. Perhaps I am angry, or sad, or even afraid. But from the sentence, the reader does not
know what emotion I am feeling.
The
sentence should be: “I think it is wrong for the prime minister to threaten to
cut funding to theaters.” That is an
accurate statement of my opinion, my idea, my thought.
I could
write: “I feel angry that the prime minister threatened to cut funding to
theaters.” Anger is the feeling. If I thought that this needed more of an
explanation, I could then go on to elucidate.
“It is an unwarranted suppression of free speech and artistic expression.”
Notice that
I did not begin that last sentence with “I think.” You knew that it was my thought without my
having to say so. Why? Well, who else’s could it be? I already told you that this subject was a
concern of mine, and my phrasing of the previous “I feel” sentence made it
clear that this was a personal reflection.
We say that “I think” was “assumed” in a case like this.
That is the
second point. If the writing is yours,
it is not necessary to tell us that it is your thought. We, the readers, assume that it is. (And we assume that if it is not, you will
tell us by using quotation marks and citing your sources.)
Is there
ever a time to use “feel” in the place of “think”? Not that I know of.
Is there
ever a time to use “I think,” even if the reader will assume that this is your
opinion? Yes, if you want to address a
controversial issue and you want to soften your stance a bit for fear that you
will offend or cause a greater confrontation.
Let’s
imagine that you really do think that you should use “I feel” and “I think”
interchangeably. You’re going to disagree with your professor and you feel a
bit nervous about his reaction. That’s a
good time to start the sentence with “I think…”
“I think it’s okay to sometimes
write ‘I feel’ when I mean ‘I think.’”
In this case, you are emphasizing
that it is your opinion so as not to imply that there is some greater authority
– greater than the professor – with whom you are siding.
But don’t overdo it. Once you’ve used the “I think” formulation, allow
your other statements to stand without it.
Repeating “I think” with each new point you make will weaken your
argument.
