“But,” my father used to say with a burst of air after a long exposition on a topic. Then he would launch into a counterpoint to what he had just said. I loved his ability to examine ideas from various perspectives. I also realized that, in many contexts, the word “but” signals that the previous statement is wrong. As a coordinating conjunction, the word “but” joins two words, phrases, or clauses of equal value. Yet, for many, “but” stirs our emotions, overriding our sense of logic. This is as it should be — “but” puts us on guard. Some groups practice “but watching.” Assign a “but watcher” in groups that frequently use “but” as the first response to a comment. Monitoring the “buts” gives rise