Accepting new ideas is great. If you believe something, and someone presents another angle for you to consider, taking a look at that angle is likely wise. That’s being open-minded, and many people do a great job of that. However, it can fall a bit short.
To accurately refine your viewpoints, it takes going a level deeper and becoming actively open-minded. If you’re actively open-minded, you’ll question your own thoughts to make sure you’re right, rather than assuming you’re right unless you’re proven wrong.
In Adam Grant’s book Think Again, he puts it this way:
Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.
This is a big reason that I often intentionally follow sources that are counter to my established views. As a Christian, I often find myself seeing what’s new in the Atheism sub-Reddit. There’s a lot of stuff in there that I simply don’t agree with, but there are also many folks in there with solid reasoning and fair arguments, and it’s good to understand those.
On a lighter side, I’m very much an Android user when it comes to mobile phones, but I keep an eye on what is happening with the latest iPhone so I can keep a balanced view.
This is also why I appreciate folks that can look at both sides of the aisle politically. Blinding sticking to “your side” is just silly to me.
If you’re open-minded, kudos to you, as not everyone is willing to do that. If you’re willing to be actively open-minded, though, your views are likely far more refined than most and your defense of your viewpoints is almost certainly deeper than others.
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