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I wonder if it is possible to train yourself to be open-minded, or even to spot if you aren't open-minded. After all, while it is easy to spot open or closed-mi

I wonder if it is possible to train yourself to be open-minded, or even to spot if you aren't open-minded. After all, while it is easy to spot open or closed-mindedness in others, I expect that almost everyone thinks that they are open-minded.

madaxe_again 12y ago
If you're close-minded, you're not going to be conscious of it - that's the nature of the beast. You can't force someone's mind open, as all you're doing then is teaching them to be close-minded with a different set of axioms that you've behooved upon them. As to yourself - it's hard to say, as having any objective view of self is challenging to say the least. I like to think I'm extremely open-minded, but I might be wrong.
agumonkey 12y ago
I'm close-minded, emotionally, I'm wired to enjoy knowing in advance (anxious personality). Until I realize that I was very wrong and could enjoy discovering things that were oblivious to me. I'm still close-minded but headed in the opposite direction now.
kristofferR 12y ago
Research seems to suggest that psilocybin (the drug that makes magic mushrooms "magic") permanently increases open-mindedness [1][2], so that's one "easy" way to do it. There's also a lot you can do consciously in daily life. By deciding to be more open-minded through constantly working to really understand why the people you disagree with (no matter if it's serious topics like religion, politics, morals, ideology or more trivial topics like tastes and interests) think the way they do it's almost impossible to not end up more open-minded. [1] http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201110/psychedelics-open-the-mind http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201110/p... [2] http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/3/5869465/scientists-figured-out-how-shrooms-open-your-mind http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/3/5869465/scientists-figured-...

madaxe_again 12y ago

If you're close-minded, you're not going to be conscious of it - that's the nature of the beast. You can't force someone's mind open, as all you're doing then is teaching them to be close-minded with a different set of axioms that you've behooved upon them. As to yourself - it's hard to say, as having any objective view of self is challenging to say the least. I like to think I'm extremely open-minded, but I might be wrong.

agumonkey 12y ago

I'm close-minded, emotionally, I'm wired to enjoy knowing in advance (anxious personality). Until I realize that I was very wrong and could enjoy discovering things that were oblivious to me. I'm still close-minded but headed in the opposite direction now.

kristofferR 12y ago

Research seems to suggest that psilocybin (the drug that makes magic mushrooms "magic") permanently increases open-mindedness [1][2], so that's one "easy" way to do it. There's also a lot you can do consciously in daily life. By deciding to be more open-minded through constantly working to really understand why the people you disagree with (no matter if it's serious topics like religion, politics, morals, ideology or more trivial topics like tastes and interests) think the way they do it's almost impossible to not end up more open-minded. [1] http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201110/psychedelics-open-the-mind http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201110/p... [2] http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/3/5869465/scientists-figured-out-how-shrooms-open-your-mind http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/3/5869465/scientists-figured-...