What makes for an open mind? Is it just being unknown and unthought about to us? Something that doesn't affect us either way? Or a suspension of disbelief? Anything is possible? Just an opinion? All in the eye of the beholder? A reluctance to declare your belief least being called on to defend it, being caught short in thinking about it, believing but not knowing why, or not wanting to disagree or risk alienating the person saying it? An unwillingness to devote any attention to or energy in it? For me to know and you to find out, and who cares whether you do? Is it openness to anything, believable or not, possible or not, reason or not, proof or not? Is it complete uncertainty, possible but doubtful, probable or not but perhaps, nearly but not certain? Is it an openness to being wrong or only to being confirmed? To what you hope not or only to what you want to believe? To dissonance in your beliefs or only what is compatible with them? An openness to a guess, a possibility, a probability, or near certainty? To their negation, to everything you believe being wrong? To an unfounded guess, a supported opinion, confirming information and reason, or contrary opinion in the face of it? Is it belief in anything?
I say not. An open mind is a willingness to consider other possibilities, but not to hide our own beliefs behind them, not to shield them from actual evidence or critical thinking. An open mind doesn't insist on only confirmation or only expresses doubt about the contrary. An open mind is willing to declare and defend their beliefs, even if only to admit a lack of any evidence. An open mind is doubly suspicious of anything he would like to be true because he knows these are the hardest to be critical of. An open mind isn't uncritical, doesn't shy from from expressing skepticism even of itself, and demands significant evidence of significant claims.
Believing in birtherism, conspiracies, fake news, and a flat earth is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it behind a shield of doubt. Denial and lying is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it against contrary information. Clinging to discredited data and arguments because you want them to be true is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it new ones.
I say not. An open mind is a willingness to consider other possibilities, but not to hide our own beliefs behind them, not to shield them from actual evidence or critical thinking. An open mind doesn't insist on only confirmation or only expresses doubt about the contrary. An open mind is willing to declare and defend their beliefs, even if only to admit a lack of any evidence. An open mind is doubly suspicious of anything he would like to be true because he knows these are the hardest to be critical of. An open mind isn't uncritical, doesn't shy from from expressing skepticism even of itself, and demands significant evidence of significant claims.
Believing in birtherism, conspiracies, fake news, and a flat earth is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it behind a shield of doubt. Denial and lying is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it against contrary information. Clinging to discredited data and arguments because you want them to be true is not keeping an open mind. It is closing it new ones.
