Is there a difference between making a judgment and being judgmental?

Question

Is there a difference between making a judgment and being judgmental?

Answer 1

well, yes!

being judgmental is bad. Its being critical of everyone and everything around you, unjustly.

Whilst making a judgment can be harmless. Judging whether or not walking in a dark ally is safe, drinking while driving... etc.

Answer 2

Judgment Definition: the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusion

Judgmental is depending on judgment

Love & Blessings

Milly

Answer 3

Yes there is a difference but generally these days people use the term "judgmental" as an excuse to silence those non-political correct people when their judgments are not acceptable to the masses. Being judgmental is a pejorative because it implies that ones expression of ones judgment is irrational and/or emotional. A judgment, on the other hand, is assumed to be rational based decision that is fair and balanced.

The problem these days and why there is confusion is the wide spread belief in the relativity of morality. If all morality is relative, meaning there are no absolute and/or any universal principles to morality, then no judgment about morality can be held to be rational. All morality is simply a choice of preferences with no rational way to choose between them. This belief means all moral judgments are axiomatically judgmental.

Normally the moral relativists are united with the political correct groups so the term "judgmental" is only applied to those people that are, or believed to be, prejudice of others. To have a prejudice is to be judgmental according to these fine people. The problem is, of course, if there is no absolute morality there is no reason one shouldn't be judgmental. These groups are using the emotional feeling of wrongness against those it labels "judgmental" but has no way to justify it's belief of that wrongness.

Edit -- ol 'hippy girl makes an interesting difference between things and people but the intestesting catch is her explaining that being judgmental is about one making a judgement about someone without all the facts. But what if you have all the facts? Is it being judgmental to call Hitler evil? Maybe we don't have all the facts about his life story. Her answer separates people and things to avoid the pain of moral judgment. It is a perfect example of moral relativism.

Answer 4

Making a judgment is just making a decision about something. You make a judgment about what to wear everyday.

Being judgmental is making a decision ABOUT someone- even though you don't really know all of the facts about them.

Answer 5

The judgemental person sees himself as the center of the universe.  He always has to be right, and holds rigid standards which he believes are right simply because they are his (though he doesn't see that this is the case).  

Answer 6

judgement involves discernment and reason

judgemental lacks any

Answer 7

There is a difference but its subtle.  We all have to make judgment calls all the time but being 'judgmental' implies that you are too harsh with your judgments or not taking in enough information first.

Answer 8

Yes

You have to make many judgements regarding all sorts of things in life, but being judgemental means you commonly make harsh judgements about other people.