Open mind

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All that open mindedness requires is that one considers an idea or proposal and does not reject it outright ''before'' any considerations or evaluations are made. Having an open mind does not mean ''accepting'' any new idea as true as soon as they are presented, as many conspiracy theorists will do even if an entirely implausible conspiracy is suggested. If you consider an idea, and then reject it based on evidence or similar criteria, you certainly do not have a closed mind. A lack of an "open mind", based on the misunderstanding between ''consideration'' and ''acceptance'' of new ideas, is therefore an often used criticism of skeptics.
 
All that open mindedness requires is that one considers an idea or proposal and does not reject it outright ''before'' any considerations or evaluations are made. Having an open mind does not mean ''accepting'' any new idea as true as soon as they are presented, as many conspiracy theorists will do even if an entirely implausible conspiracy is suggested. If you consider an idea, and then reject it based on evidence or similar criteria, you certainly do not have a closed mind. A lack of an "open mind", based on the misunderstanding between ''consideration'' and ''acceptance'' of new ideas, is therefore an often used criticism of skeptics.
  
Usually, and quite ironically, the kind of people who go around accusing others of being closed minded are actually more close minded themselves. A [[conspiracy theorist]] for example, may say "'''no one can convince me''' that the [[9/11 conspiracy theories|World Trade Center]] wasn't blown up by the government"<ref>Contrast the cynical phrase "I'll ''never'' believe it" with the skeptical phrase "I'll believe it ''when I see it''" to see that there is nothing closed-minded about being a skeptic.</ref> or suitably similar phrase. This is a clear example of a closed mind; a mind unwilling to accept that, perhaps, everything about an event was actually how it was officially presented - without aliens, government plots, second gunmen, [[Illuminati]], men in black, and so on. This archetypal conspiracy theorist would then go on to accuse anyone who rejects their crackpot ideas of being closed minded; while providing they have ''considered'' it and looked at the evidence presented, they are no such thing. This sort of thing is, unfortunately, extremely common.
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Usually, and quite ironically, the kind of people who go around accusing others of being closed minded are actually more close minded themselves. A [[conspiracy theorist]] for example, may say "'''no one can convince me'''" that the [[9/11 conspiracy theories|World Trade Center]] wasn't blown up by the government"<ref>Contrast the cynical phrase "I'll ''never'' believe it" with the skeptical phrase "I'll believe it ''when I see it''" to see that there is nothing closed-minded about being a skeptic.</ref> or suitably similar phrase. This is a clear example of a closed mind; a mind unwilling to accept that, perhaps, everything about an event was actually how it was officially presented - without aliens, government plots, second gunmen, [[Illuminati]], men in black, and so on. This archetypal conspiracy theorist would then go on to accuse anyone who rejects their crackpot ideas of being closed minded; while providing they have ''considered'' it and looked at the evidence presented, they are no such thing. This sort of thing is, unfortunately, extremely common.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 09:45, 21 February 2010

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
—Aristotle

An open mind is a mind that is receptive to new ideas and information. It is often compared to a closed mind which will reject ideas without any consideration. Being told to be "open minded" about something - like being made to watch The Passion Of The Christ or listen to Michelle Malkin for example - is usually code for "you're not going to like this, but I want to subject you to it anyway".

Contents

In science

The scientific method requires, and thrives on, open mindedness because the scientific method requires generating a conclusion from available data and evidence. Often evidence will lead to a conclusion that defies common sense, which an otherwise closed mind would have trouble with.

To make any advances in science and technology, new ideas need to be presented constantly. Through open minded consideration of these new ideas and thorough studies of them, which wouldn't be possible without said open mindedness, science can then whittle out the bad ideas and keep the good ones. A closed minded researcher, unwilling to consider alternatives to their own pet theory or hypothesis will not advance very far or contribute much to science.

Science is often accused of being "closed-minded". But, almost without exception, this is code for "scientists won't blindly accept my crackpot idea". It's certainly not a matter of closed-mindedness and unwillingness that these ideas aren't accepted by the scientific community, because the individuals within it have a lot of motivation to prove each other wrong. There would be a lot of money and fame in a scientist showing, with the sufficient evidence to back it up and convince the rest, a lot of things such as the existence of ghosts, the (non-placebo) workings of homeopathy or even a young earth. Often proponents of woo will cry that science hasn't taken them seriously or refuse to do the research, screaming at scientists and skeptics to have an open mind. This is blatantly false; science has very often tried out these ideas or trialled that piece of alternative medicine, it's just that the results have come back negative.

What it is not

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.

All that open mindedness requires is that one considers an idea or proposal and does not reject it outright before any considerations or evaluations are made. Having an open mind does not mean accepting any new idea as true as soon as they are presented, as many conspiracy theorists will do even if an entirely implausible conspiracy is suggested. If you consider an idea, and then reject it based on evidence or similar criteria, you certainly do not have a closed mind. A lack of an "open mind", based on the misunderstanding between consideration and acceptance of new ideas, is therefore an often used criticism of skeptics.

Usually, and quite ironically, the kind of people who go around accusing others of being closed minded are actually more close minded themselves. A conspiracy theorist for example, may say "no one can convince me" that the World Trade Center wasn't blown up by the government"[1] or suitably similar phrase. This is a clear example of a closed mind; a mind unwilling to accept that, perhaps, everything about an event was actually how it was officially presented - without aliens, government plots, second gunmen, Illuminati, men in black, and so on. This archetypal conspiracy theorist would then go on to accuse anyone who rejects their crackpot ideas of being closed minded; while providing they have considered it and looked at the evidence presented, they are no such thing. This sort of thing is, unfortunately, extremely common.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Contrast the cynical phrase "I'll never believe it" with the skeptical phrase "I'll believe it when I see it" to see that there is nothing closed-minded about being a skeptic.
  2. ...Your Brain Will Fall Out.
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