Philosophically speaking, what is the "principle of charity"?

Question

It has nothing to do with altruism or the public dole or giving to those in need, so if that's what you think, don't answer.

Answer 1

In terms of philosophy, the "principle of charity" is an approach to understanding a speaker's statements by setting aside your own preconceptions about an argument, a topic, or a belief to gain a new understanding of someone else's perspective.

Answer 2

"The Philosopher's Toolkit" describes it as putting aside what you might otherwise think when you have no idea what to think--as in the case of someone trying to explain something to you in terms, or even in a language, you don't understand.

In latin it is "ceteris paribus," meaning "Ceteris paribus is a latin phrase for "all else being equal." The term is most often used when isolating descriptions of events from other potential environmental variables. " http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Ceteri...

In other words, don't think someone is necessarily nuts because they act nuts (for example)--"all other things being equal," maybe they have a thorn in their shoe, or maybe they've been poisoned. Be "charitable" and don't judge until you find out what is going on.