The Devil’s Advocate.

This, of course, is a literal job. Someone who represents the devil in the beatification process. One person, standing against the tide, trying to figure out a reason not to name someone a saint.

This isn’t why you’ve heard of the thing, however.

A Devil’s Advocate is something we “play” at. And let’s be honest, we all play at it a lot.

The fact that we play at being an advocate for the Devil should strike us as missing something. And we totally are.

A Solitary Job

The essential character of the Devil’s Advocate is they are supposed to be alone. The assumption, of course, that everyone wants to make a saint of Person X.

This assumption, that everyone wants it, is almost never an assumption in anything for which we feel the need to play the Devil’s Advocate. Putting in new drinking fountains in the school? I guarantee someone’s against it. And that you’ll hear about it.

The primary concept of playing this role is about defending us from groupthink. Not as a possibility, but as an inevitably. Because, if the pope wants a saint, who is there to say “no!”?

Just this one person!

One person who won’t go along with it. Which also means we know for sure that everyone else will.

Not All Advocates

Given our use of the phrase, we have a numbers problem. If there’s only supposed to be one, why does everyone insist on playing it all the time? As I wrote before, the Devil already has too many advocates.

This also represents a mistaken orientation. We don’t all assume everyone agrees or wants things to work. It is actually rare to assume we even need someone to play the role ever.

Usually we’re simply asking people to look at things a different way. An idea that most of us seem quite willing to do. At least in principle.

How We Usually Use It

Most often we use the phrase to suggest we are about to say something we don’t actually agree with. Or an idea we ourselves don’t want to own. Perhaps thinking hypothetically or sharing a more skeptical position.

This use is particularly interesting given how far removed it is from the official role in the Vatican. From one person there to make a case against an assumed rubber stamp to the “well, this one philosopher argues…” From sincere and direct to indirect and obfuscatory.

This renders the phrase weak and meaningless.

The other common use is something closer to a weapon of disorientation. Putting the group on notice of the danger of groupthink—while we arguing about ten different ideas before that advocate even showed up.

I suspect that we are already far too skeptical and unlikely to easily agree to make much use of a devil’s advocate. In pretty much any situation.

Which includes conversations with ourselves.

What we probably need far more advocating for is good things. Joy. Hope. Trust. And perhaps we ought to start with ourselves.