The problem with being precise

I love science.  Science demands precision.  I should love precision.

I don’t like being precise; at least, not around people I’m not familiar with.  I feel I come across as a jerk.  At least, that’s my theory of mind of the person I am talking to when I am precise.  I always envision the opposite party in conversation judging me how I used to judge people when they were being precise.  I have only recently begun to enjoy being absolutely precise in my wording and speaking.

Why?  Because people immediately associate precision with pedantry.  And pedantry is bad; at least, people don’t seem to appreciate a pedant.  In fact, the dictionary on my laptop defines “pedantic” as:

a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

I don’t think that’s fair.  If you are trying to present an artefact of science, precision is necessary.  You can’t just say “people seemed to react differently in these two experimental groups” – there must be some way of demonstrating beyond reasonable doubt that a phenomenon was observed as evidenced by a particular data set.  Being chastised for being precise is probably a remnant of the time when jocks ruled the Earth and being nerdy was still uncool.  To be precise is to desire understanding, to be elegant in thought and to be clear in conviction.

Next time you think that someone is pedantic, think instead that the same person is just being precise.  You might see them differently.