Open Mindedness

Once again indulging my habit of replying to others, then thinking "Hey, shouldn't that be on my blog?".

I just can't write the real good stuff* without a live conversation. Without a live virus.

Anyway, I wrote it on a blog by someone called Eric Kaplan - I think he writes fan fiction or something ;) Clearly just looking for a break into the big time! ;)

Anyway, the topic is open mindedness...because otherwise I'd have to edit the title of this post. And here is the reply I gave:

Thing is, I’m not sure many people are open minded about the ‘meta’ of open mindedness – ie, when they think they are being open minded, they are perhaps in some way actually closed minded.

In fact it makes sense that the more close minded you are, the less you would be open minded to the idea that you are close minded. In a Dunning-Kruger effect where the less competent you are, the less competent you are at identifying how incompetent you are. Here, the more close minded you are, the less open you are to the idea you’re incredibly close minded!

Being so very blind to the point where you are sure you see everything (check out Aton’s syndrome)
Who thinks, when they feel they are being open minded, that possibly, just possibly, just a thin chance maybe, they are being incredibly tiny minded idiots?

No one, because it takes a pinch of self lothing to do that. A pinch of salt over the shoulder. Somehow, in regular culture, open mindedness always involves realisations which are flattering to oneself.

* (by my own evaluation, anyway)