Perosnally on most topics I don't actually think the ideal state is being in the middle. I want to make that clear because I have found that splitting the difference can be an easy, lazy, and spineless approach to many subjects. Listening and being fair do not equal picking the middle position.
Today I see a rise in both closed and open mindedness and a decrease in seeking to broaden and deepen understanding. Today we have the tools and frankly the time to explore many topics. It seems that being reactionary is rewarded more than any other time in my lifetime.
It seems clear to me that since at least the aftermath of WW2 we have seen a leftward/progressive shift in the US specifically and the West broadly. I'm not sure when this started to break down but around 2016 seems close.
Now, it's not that an opposing view beat the existing one. Its that the existing understanding of the world started to crumble so much that there was an opening for a new direction to emerge. The MAGA movement and a shift back to nationalism is in full swing and no matter what the old guard says to scare people about this they are coming up with blanks.
Right now it seems like we are at a turning point. To be clear I don't think either view is 100% wrong or correct. My goal here is to explain how we can avoid being fooled and manipulated by those capitalizing on this upheaval.
On the Risk in Open Mindedness
I try to be open minded. By that I mean I try to give people an open hearing. I try to understand what they are trying to communicate. I try to do this before I start analyzing why they think something or what alternative motives might be driving them.
I often fail to do this. It's hard. My pride in my own opinions often blocks me from doing this effectively. But I try. My goal is to be able to explain someone else's opinion on something in a way they would agree with. I don't want to straw man them. Why? Because that is weak. If I can't refute something that doesn't mean I should adopt it, but I should be humble enough to admit I don't have a solid argument. I think all of us go on our gut sometimes. That's OK. It's not an excuse to make bad arguments. Bad arguments do more harm than good.
On the extreme side of open mindedness I have seen people that literally toggle between the views of the last book they read. I see people that today hold views that almost no one held 20 years ago. They seem have no concern for the wisdom of their forefathers.
We see this on the left more than the right but the right does this as well.
“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up”
~ a paraphrase of G. K. Chesterton popularized by John F. Kennedy.
I am not a traditionalist. Tradition for the sake of tradition seems silly to me but as I get older I have more and more respect for tradition and less interest in the novel. Maybe this is just a consequence of age but as someone that rejected MANY traditional views in the past its jarring for me to admit.
So, the risk I see with open-mindedness is being an inch deep and a mile wide. It's being wishy washy. Being at the mercy of "thought leaders" and "influencers". Being passive in a world of forces that seek to manipulate and control.
My personal goal is to be open, fair, and charitable but not a pushover. Hold to ideas that I have tested and tried. Ideas that have stood the test of time. Admit what I'm unsure of and stand on what I believe. Defend it without fear.
The Danger of Closed Mindedness
My father often expressed to a cocky and opinionated teenage @kepford that "if you think you know everything you will never learn anything". It was an annoying thing to hear but its true.
The first danger of closed mindedness is to yourself. If you reject conflicting ideas to your own you run the risk of never learning new things. Even if you end up confirming your priors when you are open to new ideas you can better defend your ideas to others. And if your ideas are better... isn't that a good thing.
The second danger of being closed minded is it leads to making a bad defense of your own ideas. I could write a long post on how poorly many things were argued in my Christian tradition. Things that lead many to leave the faith. I could give you examples on how poorly the conservative movement has argued against socialism. Point is, this approach does a disservice to a position. Avoid this mistake.
The third risk to closed mindedness is that it makes your position seem weak. If you stoop to straw man arguements you look defensive. Shouldn't the best ideas win the day?
This is why I oppose the approach of squelching speech or making certain people and ideas beyond the pale.
I'm reminded of this
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”
~ George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
The thing is, being closed minded and attempting shut down debate doesn't eliminate a bad idea. It makes it pretty much inevitable that it will grow.
The forth risk is assuming you currently hold the traditional view. The root of this mistake is not realizing what knowledge you may lack. I was affected by this as a young man. I was told that many views were the old ways. As I went out into the world and began to explore I learned that this was not only untrue but actually the opposite. Many of the ideas I was taught were novel ones historically. That doesn't mean they were wrong by definition but it bothered me for years.
You avoid this by knowing what you don't know. The people that taught me were likely just passing the untested and unquestioned ideas of others. I don't assume they were intentionally misleading me. It's an important lesson that has shaped my approach to thinking and listening to ideas.
Do with this what you will but these thoughts have been in my head lately and wanted to share them.