Hostages of beliefs: when and why to change your mind

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

People tend to adapt to those around them. We would rather be wrong together with everyone than go against the general opinion, and therein lies a great danger.

Where is the truth?

Can both sides of the dispute be right? Can both sides be wrong? And why do we dismiss anything that is contrary to our beliefs?

To learn to determine what is true and what is not, you must first recognize two important things:

• I know nothing.
• All the others don't know anything either.

Everything we know and everything we learn is usually based on previous knowledge. For example, when studying mathematics, we take for granted that 1 + 1 = 2. This is logical.

But in other sciences - geography, physics, biology - we accept as facts all the knowledge we gain, without realizing that in fact they do not always correspond to reality. Sometimes they are only partially correct, and sometimes they are completely incorrect. After all, people used to think that the Earth was flat. Of course, now it's easy for us to look back at these dark times and chuckle. But what if some of today's universal truths are also wrong?

Imagine that someone tells you something that contradicts your established view of the world. For example, that gravity is an illusion. You will probably be skeptical about this and try to find something that confirms your correctness in order to return to the usual picture of the world.

This is a very dangerous way of thinking. American entrepreneur Elon Musk proposes a different approach - to proceed from basic principles, that is, to solve a problem based only on fundamental statements, and to doubt everything.

People usually think by constantly looking back at tradition or previous experience. They say: "We have always done this, therefore we will do it too" or "Nobody does this, there is nothing to try." But this is nonsense.

Elon Musk entrepreneur

Musk believes that you need to build your reasoning from scratch - “from the basic principles,” as they say in physics: “Take the very basics and start from them, then you will see whether your conclusion works or not. And in the end it may or may not differ from what they did before you."

For most of us, this approach seems impractical. We are used to relying on the knowledge and advice of experts and those we trust. We simply do not have time to proceed from basic principles every time. Nevertheless, if you do not forget about this approach, you can notice your own blind spots and avoid mistakes.

How to learn to change your beliefs

Al Pittampalli, in his book Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Minds to Change the World, makes a strong case for abandoning old beliefs in light of new circumstances.

Constantly checking your beliefs helps you develop, learn new things and achieve success.

Only it is very difficult to do this, because our brain is desperately resisting. We do not want to believe that we are wrong in something, and we do our best to preserve the usual picture of the world. One possible way is to join a group that will help defend our views, both right and wrong.

But those who strive for success, development and happiness should not be afraid to change their minds when the situation calls for it. Here's what it takes.

1. Be open to everything new

Broad-minded people strive to get to the bottom of the truth, whatever it may be. Compare this with the behavior of the majority: when faced with information that calls into question our views, we immediately brush it off, instead of moving away from the existing belief and spending energy on reflection. And usually this happens so quickly that we do not even have time to realize anything.

2. Doubt everything

When we read or hear something contrary to our ideas, we usually do not go into details and try to find someone who shares our opinion. This is called confirmation bias. It is inherent in everyone. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor yourself and show healthy skepticism.

3. Don't think too harshly

Changing our views is also not easy because our brains tend to think in binary terms. "There is cancer from meat!" - "There is a lot of benefit from meat!" or "Carbohydrates are death!" - "No, wait, fat is death!"

In reality, everything is much more complicated. Meat, fats and carbohydrates can be both beneficial and harmful, depending on the source, how they are prepared and what we use them with. Stop using the all-or-nothing approach.

4. Test your beliefs

When we are faced with conflicting information in a conversation, a movie, an article, the reaction of rejection occurs automatically. We don't even have time to think about why we reject something. That is why it is important to reflect on your views from time to time and check if they are wrong.

Try not to be constrained by the rigid beliefs of the group to which you belong.

Think like a scientist: doubt everything and test all hypotheses yourself.

Nothing bad will happen if you change your mind: you will simply learn, adapt, change, grow.