Open-minded versus actively open-minded

Accepting new ideas is great. If you believe something, and someone presents another angle for you to consider, taking a look at that angle is likely wise. That’s being open-minded, and many people do a great job of that. However, it can fall a bit short.

To accurately refine your viewpoints, it takes going a level deeper and becoming actively open-minded. If you’re actively open-minded, you’ll question your own thoughts to make sure you’re right, rather than assuming you’re right unless you’re proven wrong.

In Adam Grant’s book Think Again, he puts it this way:

Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong-not for reasons why we must be right-and revising our views based on what we learn.

This is a big reason that I often intentionally follow sources that are counter to my established views. As a Christian, I often find myself seeing what’s new in the Atheism sub-Reddit. There’s a lot of stuff in there that I simply don’t agree with, but there are also many folks in there with solid reasoning and fair arguments, and it’s good to understand those.

On a lighter side, I’m very much an Android user when it comes to mobile phones, but I keep an eye on what…