6. Stabilization

The previous examples repeatedly used words such as stable, resilient, and settled.

A conviction is stabilized insofar as it continues to operate despite disturbances that might otherwise have changed it, over some period and under some conditions.

Stability is local rather than absolute.

You can remain convinced that a colleague is dependable until an unexplained event occurs. Political convictions may survive criticism within one social environment and weaken after years spent in another. A moral judgment that seems settled in calm conditions may become less secure under fear or anger.

A conviction is stable for this person. Under these conditions. Against these disturbances. Over this period.

Different stabilizing conditions may also combine. Perception may repeatedly confirm what is expected, while habit can reduce occasions for reconsideration. A social group may reinforce a conviction. Formal arguments can connect convictions with other accepted premises. Repeated practical success may strengthen reliance. Identity can make alternatives difficult to integrate.

Stabilization is not certainty. A person can retain doubts while continuing to rely on a conviction.

Nor is stabilization permanence. Even convictions that survive for decades can change.

Stability tells us something about how a conviction persists, not about its merit.