have you ever changed your opinion?

[Loonyyy]

Yes. It just takes time and effort.

I changed my position from Christian to Atheist.
I changed my position from anti-gay to pro-gay.
I changed my position from eating meat to not eating meat.
I changed my position from being strongly anti-American, to realising that position was stupid.
I was anti alcohol and drugs, and now I am pro.

It just takes effort and a willingness to address where you may be incorrect. And it's hard. A lot of these positions are deeply cherished, and we're not good at rationally weighing two sides when we already ascribe to one side. It's not easy, because confirmation bias makes it easier to dismiss counter arguments than to weigh them fairly. And most of us are aware enough of this to suffer from cognitive dissonance, and it takes a lot of effort to get around that.

 

[krazykidd]

Of course . But there are things that i won't change my opinion about.

God. The benefits of possibly going to heaven outweights the benefits of being an atheist .

Homosexuals . I have nothing against homosexuals , live and let live , but they make me uncomfortable , so i won't befriend one anytime soon .

People are not worth trusting . This is self explanatory . I don't trust people and they don't deserve my trust . Everybody lies and everyone does everything for a selfish reason whether they know it or not.

 

[game-lover]

Yeah, sure. Reluctantly, I think most times but sure.

I've grown fond of saying the phrase "I/I'll concede" whenever that happens. I'll concede your point. I'll concede I misunderstood. And yadda yadda.

 

[Palademon]

Yes, I took Philosophy as an A Level so it happened quite a lot.

This kind of thinking is why I could never support a sports team. I'd merely constantly assume the one that last won the championship was the best.

 

[Rblade]

subtelly yes, sometimes people convince me that something isn't as great, or terrible, I thought it was. Never anything huge though generally nuances, unless I'm presented with new facts I wasn't previously aware off. Although that last one is pretty much the reason I try to avoid getting to vocal about things I don't know much about. You don't have to take back what you don't say out loud.

 

[Palademon]

God. The benefits of possibly going to heaven outweights the benefits of being an atheist .

I think I can well argue against this kind of Pascal's Wager-esque thinking. But I will avoid it out fo respect because I may not want to sidetrack the thread into possible religion-bashing-sounding arguments, even though I don't think it would need any bashing, and you're really adamant.

I knwo it sounds like I'm going "I could totally win this". I'm not really trying to claim credit for doing nothing, but I really felt the urge to say something about that. It's like having a really powerful itch. I at least felt like acknowledging of the off chance you felt like "What the hell. I'll hear you out".

Edit: I only have a problem if Pascal's Wager is the sole argument. If you were just trying sum up a quick reason that only sounded like Pascal's wager, I have no problem.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Of course, anyone who claims that they have never changed their opinion on anything is lying.

 

[Best of the 3]

Curious, was this inspired by a certain Cyberpunk 2077 thread?

And a few times. Generally I like to stick with my argument. Not to say I don't disagree with other opinions, or that my view is more or less valid than there. But I generally stick to my guns on my own opinion unless I can clearly see that my view was a load of hogwash.

 

[NightmareExpress]

Rarely, but it happens on occasion. Not often from exchanging views with other people, but rather from a combination of observation and the passage of time. It took me a good many years to more or less cement my views of religion, humor and humanity while my views on contemporary politics constantly change (supporting an idea, but knowing that individual most likely won't do as promised or recognizing that the idea has become skewed).

When I speak to others on matters of opinions and ways of thinking, I don't view myself or my "opponent" as right or wrong. Just different conclusions reached from different circumstances and perspectives. Others may view it differently, like some pseudo-competition. I try damn hard to understand where each person is coming from and to learn from them if possible, but some seem to have an erection for eristic exchanges where the end result leads to nothing and the arguments more or less full of the "my way of thinking is right, you're way of thinking is wrong" sentiment.

In cases where actual evidence (numbers, quotations) can be used, then yes. Right/wrong exists and opinions can easily be changed. Otherwise, you're likely just going to be shooting at a strawman or Aunt Sally. I often fear that little yellow mail symbol because it seems an inevitability and I despise repeating myself.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

Never really lost a debate, as I never go into a debate without the upper hand in terms of knowledge. I have learned new info that has made me question and even change my positions in the past, but generally I don't let others influence me. I make sure to try and research arguments on a subject, as nothing would frighten me more than having my opinion be the result of some sort of propaganda or misinformation.

 

[FFP2]

All the time. Usually when they inform me of something I didn't know before hand.

 

[Risingblade]

Yup, new information tends to do that to you

 

[Snownine]

If you are incapable of having an opinion change or realize you were mistaken about something then you are a very ignorant, pathetic, human being and it is people like you that cause many of the worlds problems. That is not to say that strong opinions are bad, or that it should not take considerable evaluation and information to change opinions that are central to your beliefs and worldview. It means that if you are so inflexible that you can never be swayed under any circumstance, it is not healthy.

 

[Kaymish]

yes quite often i have taken the wrong position and have been convinced with sufficient evidence and good reasoning by the other party and i am not afraid to admit i am wrong
i am also willing to admit that i also have entrenched opinions that when attacked on will cause me to dismiss the opponent as a moron its a bad habit and one i try to change but in the heat of the argument it is hard to tell when i am simply dismissing or if the other person is actually a moron people being morons is unfortunately far too common

 

[Callate]

Yeah- first he called me an idiot, and then he questioned my sexual orientation, and then he said some things about my parents, and my weight, and my employment, he explained some universal truths about everyone who likes the music I like, and then when he went off about my choice of hair products I really started to see the light- though my therapist says that might be something called "Stockholm Syndrome", but, whatever...

More seriously- yes. But it takes the right attitude and the right information to really make me change my mind. If you don't have any respect for how I got here- wrong conclusion or not- why should I be concerned with your opinion of where I go from there? How many opinions are there where the need to be right is so important that it's worth the risk of being wrong-headed about it?

 

[VanTesla]

I have changed my opinion on various topics many times. I only change my opinions on said subject if I find myself to be misinformed or did not have all the facts. I try to keep a open mind on things, even though I can be stubborn on certain subjects. If there is hard confirmed facts/evidence that shows my opinion or belief on something is false, then I want to know so I don't feel like a complete moron.

A big change I have had in opinions for this last decade has been humanity and our politics.... Always fun when thinking about that stuff in a realistic/pessimistic view...

 

[VanTesla]

yes quite often i have taken the wrong position and have been convinced with sufficient evidence and good reasoning by the other party and i am not afraid to admit i am wrong
i am also willing to admit that i also have entrenched opinions that when attacked on will cause me to dismiss the opponent as a moron its a bad habit and one i try to change but in the heat of the argument it is hard to tell when i am simply dismissing or if the other person is actually a moron people being morons is unfortunately far too common

I feel the same way as you. I think it's good that we can at least admit and realize that our stance or opinion maybe wrong instead of blindly waving our hands around acting like a child all the time.

 

[Bitcoon]

Honestly, anyone who says no needs to learn to open their eyes. Nobody's right all the time, and even if you base your opinion on solid facts or evidence, it's always possible for new viewpoints and evidence to come into play which you previously didn't know of, or you find something you believed to be true is actually false and that wrecks your argument. Everyone's wrong sometimes. It just can be hard to accept that.