Assumptions and Guesses

This post is about my frustration with the phrase, "don't assume".

First we need some definitions. I'm using Dicitonary.com as my source for these.


assumption [uh-suhmp-shuhn] noun
1. something taken for granted; a supposition: a correct assumption. Synonyms: presupposition; hypothesis, conjecture, guess, postulate, theory.
2. the act of taking for granted or supposing. Synonyms: presumption; presupposition.
3. the act of taking to or upon oneself. Synonyms: acceptance, shouldering.
4. the act of taking possession of something: the assumption of power. Synonyms: seizure, appropriation, usurpation, arrogation.
5. arrogance; presumption. Synonyms: presumptuousness; effrontery, forwardness, gall.


guess [ges] verb (used with object)
1. to arrive at or commit oneself to an opinion about (something) without having sufficient evidence to support the opinion fully: to guess a person's weight.
2. to estimate or conjecture about correctly: to guess what a word means.
3. to think, believe, or suppose: I guess I can get there in time.


verb (used without object)
4. to form an estimate or conjecture (often followed by at  or about ): We guessed at the weight of the package.
5. to estimate or conjecture correctly.

Now, when people say that, it's usually based on an assumption. They're assuming that the person who acted improperly has made an assumption which led to that action. What they fail to remember is that we have to make assumptions all the time to get through our day. When we put something down, we assume we'll find it there when we go back. When we greet a friend, we assume they are okay with us being there. When we pay a bill, we're assuming the money we just used is legal tender, and available to us. When we check our balance, we assume the information we just got was correct.

What people who say that really mean is, don't act on an assumption unless you're pretty damn sure it's true. When I've used it in the past, it's been along the lines of "don't assume you know anything about me". I agree with the idea that we can't assume anything about other people. They might be lying to us. They might have changed an opinion or habit since the last time we talked. They might have been pretending to enjoy something for our own benefit. But for our sanity, we have to assume that people are not deliberately deceiving us. Otherwise, society would fall apart.

Oh wait, with how many con artists there are, we can't assume people are what they say. And society is slowly falling apart around us.