meaning of conviction

[cathy]

i fail to understand this issue topic.

"In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are
motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and
ideas that differ from those held by the majority."

I checked the dictionary for the word "conviction". It gives the following explanations:

1 : the act or process of convicting of a crime especially in a court of law
2 a : the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth b : the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth
3 a : a strong persuasion or belief b : the state of being convinced

From my understanding, the explanation 3 is more suitable to the meaning of conviction in that sentence, but many people believe 2 is suitable.

I fail to understand this issue topic.

"In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are
motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and
ideas that differ from those held by the majority."

[Yankee]

Hi Cathy

I'm not really sure what you're actually asking or expect as an answer -- other than that I agree with you that definition 3a seems to fit the sentence.

For more insight into definitions 2a and 2b, maybe having a look at the definitions in Webster's 1828 edition will help:
http://adsl-65-66-134-201.dsl.kscymo.swbell.net/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_texts_web1828=conviction

Amy

[cathy]

Thank you!!
I am a Chinese student and always have trouble in understanding the issue topic.