Not that he was talking to me, but I realized that maybe I'm unclear as to what 'good faith' actually means when it comes to a conversation. What does it mean? :shrug:
"Good faith" is a literal translation of Latin bona fides. It came into use about 100 years ago when the use of Latin was dwindling, even among educated people--IMHO probably because French had already eclipsed it and English was now eclipsing French. Apparently it was first used in a legal context, as a synonym for bona fides. The U.S. Uniform Commercial Code which was adopted as law by all states (that's why it's called "universal") uses the term in numerous sections but the essence of it is "honesty in fact and conduct." For example, if I offer in good faith to sell you a car that has both my wife's name and my name on the title, it means that I have no reason to doubt that I have her permission to liquidate this asset which is half hers. I'm telling you that you don't have to worry about her sending a lawyer after you to reclaim her half of the now-ancient Mercedes we bought ourselves as a wedding present. The term has spread into the vernacular. In everyday speech it simply means (to quote Dictionary.com, a resource you should all become familiar with, which merely gathers definitions from the most respected American dictionaries) "in accordance with standards of honesty, trust, sincerity, etc." In the context of a message board, "to argue in good faith" means that you are not being deceitful or disingenuous, that you believe what you say to be true and you believe you are saying it in a straightforward way that will not deliberately mislead people. I haven't seen the original thread from which you excerpted Azzy's comment. To say that someone "refuses good faith" is an odd turn of phrase in America, but perhaps more common Down Under. I would take his accusation to mean, "You doubt my honesty with no immediately apparent justification," but without reviewing the entire exchange I reserve the right to be wrong.
