While “strong opinion weakly held” is more traditional and widespread, I prefer replacing “strong” with “clear,” since it points more crisply at the relevant feature.
Is that the relevant feature? If we disagree about that, then this phrase is not itself a clear opinion. The original version was extreme, which is how I always understood it.
What do you mean by “clear”? As I understand it, the point is to be clear about some thing and not clear about others — in particular, not to clearly state all disclaimers.
Added: the modern origin gives an explanation that might fit the word zealous. He emphasizes the energy and commitment necessary to test the claims.
While “strong opinion weakly held” is more traditional and widespread, I prefer replacing “strong” with “clear,” since it points more crisply at the relevant feature.
Is that the relevant feature? If we disagree about that, then this phrase is not itself a clear opinion. The original version was extreme, which is how I always understood it.
What do you mean by “clear”? As I understand it, the point is to be clear about some thing and not clear about others — in particular, not to clearly state all disclaimers.
Added: the modern origin gives an explanation that might fit the word zealous. He emphasizes the energy and commitment necessary to test the claims.