From what I’ve seen, it seems that when people commit to believing in something, it becomes very difficult—painful, even—to entertain the notion that they might be wrong. But IMHO, it is the willingness to accept this difficulty and pain that drives innovation and honest inquiry. I believe this willingness to engage in thought experiments—however unpopular they might be—could arguably fit the definition of intellectual courage.
Musings
Comments
19 responses to “Musings”
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What’s the fun in believing in something if you cannot be wrong? I love wrong answers; they make for interesting dinner companions.
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If more people thought like that, maybe the world would be a more civil, if not happier, place.
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Well said. Far too many people are unwilling to really question their own beliefs. We all need the courage to do so, but it’s not so easy
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This prompted about 500 words of writing for me. Mostly about how critical comments on my writing or music feel so good and feel so bad, at the same time. I love how you packed so much meaning into so few words.
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Thank You Allison! I’m privileged to have helped facilitate some of your writing! 🙂 Yeah it’s tough when you pour your heart into something and someone doesn’t seem to get it, but I think it’s like snake venom; you get dosed a bit and you build a resistance, it keeps happening, and eventually the old adage becomes true: you can’t please everyone and then you’re fine with it.
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Reblogged this on Still Another Writer's Blog and commented:
See, also: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief_perseverance and (2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias and (3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift-
Right! I’m familiar with confirmation bias and I think it’s unavoidable (a large part of us is produced by our circumstances and anecdotes) but being aware of it allows one the opportunity to maybe not be drawn into the black hole of blindly defending an obsolete belief (I think that’s the case, anyway)
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I could not agree with you more. Usually those are the people that get shut down in a discussion because they haven’t thought about why they believe it or why others might not.
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I’ve been taken to task when someone asserts something and I say “Possibly…” It seems that people want immediate unconditional support when it comes to their opinions, an attitude I believe is a great hindrance to learning.
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Kent Wayne 
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