Ask anyone if they’re open-minded and they’ll say yes. We all think we’re reasonable, willing to change our minds, guided by evidence. Then we encounter an opinion that challenges us and suddenly we’re lawyers, not scientists. We defend rather than explore.
The philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that we should seek out the strongest versions of arguments we disagree with. Not to mock them, but because even if those arguments are wrong, engaging with them will strengthen our own understanding. He thought censoring ideas made everyone dumber, including the people who were “right.”
But we don’t do this. We seek out confirmation, not challenge. We follow people who agree with us. We read news that aligns with our politics. We dismiss opposing views without seriously considering them. Then we call this being “informed.”
Here’s the test of whether you’re actually open-minded: Can you state your opponent’s position so clearly and charitably that they’d say “yes, that’s what I believe”? Not a caricature. Not a straw man. Their actual view.
Most of us can’t. We’re so busy defending our territory that we never actually understand what we’re arguing against.
Being open-minded doesn’t mean believing everything or standing for nothing. It means holding your beliefs provisionally, staying curious, admitting when you don’t know something. It means changing your mind being a sign of strength, not weakness.
The people who never change their minds aren’t principled. They’re just stuck.
Real open-mindedness is uncomfortable. It requires humility. It means accepting that you might be wrong about things you’re certain of.
But it’s also the only way to actually grow.