#36 - Change Your Mind
It's your obligation
There’s a lot of value in being consistent with your opinions.
Maintaining and building congruous viewpoints demonstrates strength, conviction, and integrity, helps build a clear identity, fosters accountability and makes it easy for others to know where you stand.
Constantly changing your mind might bring into question your trust and reliability, make you appear fickle and risks confusing and frustrating others. It is also very inefficient.
Nelson Mandela didn’t become arguably the most celebrated man in history by changing his mind under pressure. His story is revered because of his unwavering dedication to his cause despite everything he faced.
True, true and true… but things do change.
New information, new experiences, growth, context and exposure to different opinions can (and should) challenge even the most entrenched views.
This week’s rule comes from this quote from English Philosopher Alan Watts.
You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.
Watts called himself “a philosophical entertainer, a genuine fake and an irreducible rascal”. He has fans and critics, but this post is about this particular quote, not the man himself.
I take two main points. One is that the past should not determine the future, and reinventing yourself for the better is a noble pursuit. The second is that changing your opinion is legitimate if you’re presented with new information or context.
Strong opinions, loosely held.
Being able to change your mind can be a sign of intellectual honesty, confidence and clarity of thought. Adapting and reacting to new information and being able to rationalise what that means for your viewpoint on the world is a sign that you are an independent thinker.
Obviously, you don’t want to change your positions every day, but balancing this against the above benefits is a sign of confidence and intellectual honesty.
It’s rare. Particularly in situations that might be considered tribal… think, politics.
Reading the news, you’d think a leader changing their mind or position was a cardinal sin. That flip-flopping, caving or capitulation were the only ways someone could ever change their position or opinion.
That’s why real examples are so interesting to look at. And why seeing someone do it in the right way should be seen as a sign of confidence and integrity.
Here are a couple of examples on either side of the political spectrum to illustrate my point.
Thomas Sowell is a renowned economist and author of 45 published books. His voice is often endorsed by free-market advocates and conservatives. He is one of the most prominent intellectuals of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his quotes are often used as arguments for small government.
But his views weren’t always conservative. As a young man, Sowell identified as a Marxist, stemming from the belief that it was a compelling critique of capitalism and the inequalities it resulted in.
Sowell’s view turned almost 180 degrees after completing an internship in the US Government labour department. His experience studying the effects of minimum wage laws changed his view on the effectiveness of government.
“I was a Marxist in my teens and twenties, but one summer working in the government was enough to make me rethink everything I’ve ever believed”
Elizabeth Warren is one of the most prominent left-wing/progressive voices in modern American politics. She was one of the front-runners in the 2020 Democratic race to run for President, with a platform centred around regulating financial markets, reforming healthcare, and a belief that the government should play a strong role in protecting people from institutional exploitation.
However, Warren initially identified as a conservative, and her early career reflected this, as did the fact that she had been a registered Republican for a portion of her adult life.
Warren's transformation was not a sudden shift, but a gradual evolution driven by experiences. Her in-depth research into bankruptcy law and middle-class economic issues and the stories she encountered were what shaped her into the progressive she is today.
From a profile in Politico leading up to her 2020 campaign:
The story of Warren’s awakening - from a true believer in free markets, to a business-bashing enforcer of fair markets; from a moderate Republican … to one of the most liberal senators in America vying to lead the Democratic Party—breaks the mold of the traditional White House contender and is key to understanding how she sees the world: with a willingness to change when presented with new data, and the anger of someone who trusted the system and felt betrayed.
Both these stories - flips in opposite directions - highlight intellectual flexibility and willingness to change positions based on new evidence and context.
Both these individuals are incredibly strong and confident in their convictions - that much is obvious by listening to them speak. Perhaps especially strong because they have considered and been exposed to the other side.
Strength in your conviction is vital, but so is the ability to adapt. Changing your mind is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of intellectual honesty and confidence, despite what the modern world seems to suggest.
Confirmation bias is the tendency to favour information that confirms existing beliefs and to disregard or undervalue information that challenges them. It is everywhere and incredibly difficult to overcome.
Examining new information and the beliefs that it challenges is perhaps what leads to greater clarity, and ultimately success.
At least that’s what I believe today… 🤔
Before you go, a couple of things I enjoyed this week:
What I watched this week…
I have been waiting for this and loved finally watching this documentary about Ross Edgley and his record breaking swim in the Yukon River. I wrote about Ross and his efforts in TR33 and this documentary is a must if you’re into endurance, human possibility and British wit and charm.
What I read this week…
I found this article about aging interesting (originally found in the WSJ, this is a similar article not behind a paywall). In short, a new study has determined that while we age gradually, there seems to be a burst of aging in your mid 40’s and early 60’s. I think there are parallels with learning and this idea has gone on to the list of future topics.
Thanks for reading Tuesday’s Rule, see you next week! ✌🏻❤️
We do need to be able to learn and adapt, and yea ultimately be able to change your mind. People though want to be seen as consistent with their existing commitments, as it’s may be tied to their reputation.