Open mindedness

[ShadowPen]

I've been dealing a lot with psychology lately. In school, in my personal life, even posting here on the Escapist. It seems that one of the most talked about topics is religion. Now, I can understand why people would want to discuss this, but it leads to another interesting topic, and one I feel has been neglected by many.

Open Mindedness.

I went to a VERY liberal college where I made a startling discovery. The modern definition of an open minded person is 'someone who is unaccepting of homosexuality,' and now, watching an episode of Morel Orel (which I hate, so why am I watching it?) realizing that the term is being expanded to become 'one who excepts the Big Bang Theory as true.'

I hate both of these definitions.

Open Mindedness SHOULD mean 'viewing other opinions with a level of respect, regardless of whether or not the person believes it.'

Naturally, I'm not just going to let this sit like let, so lets add some examples.

Back at college, I met an atheist who would verbally abuse anyone who even hinted at a belief in God. Personally, I'm agnostic, so I don't really take a side, instead choosing to laugh at both. Still, this person had the audacity to describe themselves as 'open minded,' when in reality, their mind was so closed you couldn't fit a pin in there.

On this very forum, there was a discussion on whether a person's sexual identity could be changed. Most of the responses went along the lines of 'no, and if you think so, you're a terrible person and blah blah blah.'

Let me remind you that I went to a very liberal college. Let me inform you that I have a very conservative father.

Let me finish this little rant by informing you that it is just as hard to change my father's mind about something (who will openly admit he is closed minded) as it is to inform my liberal former classmates.

Just something I wanted to share.

 

[mangus]

If you're too open minded you can lose your grip on what your own beliefs are and just blindly accept every point as valid. Some points ARE NOT valid. Never have a mind so open your brain falls out.

 

[Good morning blues]

The only part of the OP I disagree with is your definition. Open-mindedness isn't respect for all viewpoints, it's the maturity and willingness to change your mind if you're presented with a superior argument. Respect and that level of maturity sort of come hand-in-hand.

 

[Fairee]

I like to feel I'm open minded, because I'll consider and understand both sides in a situation and respect other people rights to believe either of them. However, I still have my own beliefs, which could change as other people explain what they believe and why.

However, I respect everyone's right to belive they are open minded, whether or not they think it means the same as what I think it means.

 

[Manyeyes]

If you're too open minded you can lose your grip on what your own beliefs are and just blindly accept every point as valid. Some points ARE NOT valid. Never have a mind so open your brain falls out.

Open-minded is more about tolerance and respect, rather than blind acceptance

 

[RetiarySword]

If you're too open minded you can lose your grip on what your own beliefs are and just blindly accept every point as valid. Some points ARE NOT valid. Never have a mind so open your brain falls out.

Good awnser.

 

[mangus]

Open-minded is more about tolerance and respect, rather than blind acceptance

is it? IS IT!? *jab* *jab*

 

[Manyeyes]

Stop jabbing...it tickles

 

[GloatingSwine]

I would reccommend This video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI] to find out about actual open mindedness.

 

[Mr_spamamam]

As far as I'm concerned, I dont have to like things, or even respect then. All I have to do is tolerate them. I dont particularly like it when athiests start going on about how everyone who beleives in god is a fucktard with glue for brains, but it has to be tolerated, I dont particularly like it when the pope ( who looks startlingly like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars) starts banging on about how condoms spread Aids or how homosexuals threaten the world, but i tolerate it

 

[theklng]

The only part of the OP I disagree with is your definition. Open-mindedness isn't respect for all viewpoints, it's the maturity and willingness to change your mind if you're presented with a superior argument. Respect and that level of maturity sort of come hand-in-hand.

basically. open mindedness too derives from mind adaptability/rationality.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I dont particularly like it when the pope ( who looks startlingly like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars) starts banging on about how condoms spread Aids or how homosexuals threaten the world, but i tolerate it

And given that he says that to African countries with millions upon millions of HIV positive and AIDS sufferers, this is exactly the kind of thing which should not be tolerated, because it is indescribably harmful and evil.

 

[Darthlex]

I dont particularly like it when the pope ( who looks startlingly like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars) starts banging on about how condoms spread Aids or how homosexuals threaten the world, but i tolerate it

And given that he says that to African countries with millions upon millions of HIV positive and AIDS sufferers, this is exactly the kind of thing which should not be tolerated, because it is indescribably harmful and evil.

From your perspective .. From his perspective it is the truth probably, and from some other guy's perspective he needs to be stabbed down.

It's a matter of perspective, being openminded is also being able to say "What he is saying might not be what i see as the truth, but from his POV it is." You don't have to believe everything people say, but it's important to remember that they are unlikely to see it as "evil" themselves .. I don't think hitler thought of himself as evil ..

 

[Tellaris]

Placebo effect it may be, but recognize the POWER of that effect. The mind is powerful.

OP: You mention psychology, so do you mind if I jump in a bit?
Closed mindedness is apparently more of an unwillingness to listen to information that conflicts with their personal beliefs. The stronger the conflict, the more likely a person will ignore the new information. And here we get into things like Bias and what not...
So if you tell somebody something that you know to be true but to them is completely against their beliefs, they'll likely ignore you.
Since religion is mentioned, let me use it...
There is no God. <--- quite the conflict with their belief that there IS. Exact opposites actually. Since there is a strong conflict here, they'll likely reject your point, regardless of whatever evidence you have to back it up. Might be a bad analogy. I'm not good with those.
Of course, people very quite a bit, there are always those that differ.

 

[GloatingSwine]

It's a matter of perspective, being openminded is also being able to say "What he is saying might not be what i see as the truth, but from his POV it is."

No, that's empathy.

Open mindedness is about your acceptance or otherwise of ideas. Empathy is about understanding the point of view of another.

And even then you can assess that objectively, to show that objective harm is being done.

I don't think hitler thought of himself as evil ..

It's no great endorsement of one's ideas to say that.

 

[Schnippshly]

Moral Orel is awesome. It makes fun of a lack of open-mindedness.

Open-mindedness is for pansies!
A person's sexuality CAN'T be changed. That's just how it is, people saying that it can't be changed isn't being "close-minded". Anyone who insists that it can be changed is just against homosexuality and wants people to stop being homosexual.
Furthermore, although I think religion breeds intolerance, I must also say that lots of atheists try to be so adversely non-religious that they just start hating on people who are religious, and that's just as bad as one religious person hating another person's religion.