Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

by Adam Grant

“We won’t have much luck changing other people’s minds if we refuse to change ours.”

“A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of our most treasured tools and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.”

If there is a skill every gentleman must have, it’s the ability and desire to change one’s mind when faced with new data and overwhelming evidence.  Changing one’s mind, especially deeply held opinions, is often viewed as the mark of someone indecisive or lacking conviction.  Politicians, for instance, are accused of flip-flopping and insincerity if they change their minds from one campaign to the next.  I have found previous viewpoints used against me in arguments, implying that if I was wrong once, I can be wrong now. 

So why is there negativity associated with changing our minds?   This project seeks to change that stigma.  We want to energize debate and help all gentlemen look at the world, their lives, and their relationships in new and exciting ways.  It is our position that books hold the keys to understanding this universe we inhabit.  Knowledge, however, can be uncomfortable.  Exposure to ideas, especially those which challenge our pre-existing views, does not always feel good.  We should not fear but rather openly welcome ideas, even if not convinced of the arguments.  After all, a well-honed mind capable of critical thought is more important than ever given the current state of the world.  This is why Adam Grant’s Think Again is such an apt book for The Gentlemen’s Reading List. 

Grant suggests that rethinking or challenging one’s own beliefs is not associated with a lack of conviction.  Rather, continuously seeking new knowledge is vital for mankind’s ability to progress.  If the old knowledge does not reflect reality, then it needs to be re-examined and reassessed.  The problem is that too few people do this.  As Grant points out, “we laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we cling to opinions that we formed in 1995.  We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard.”  So true.  Why don’t we change our minds?  What do we cling to outdated positions?  Why do we get uncomfortable if someone expresses a contrary viewpoint?  Cynically, I prefer to blame people’s intellectual laziness but admittedly, Grant’s assertion regarding identity is convincing.  Identity is how we see ourselves; it is how we organize into groups; it is at the core of how we frame and make sense of the world.  When our opinions are rooted in identity, rethinking deeply held beliefs becomes much more difficult.  Rethinking may mean letting a part of yourself go or losing who you thought you were.  To be clear, we are not talking about simply changing our mind every time the wind blows.  We are talking about altering our beliefs when the evidence and data indicate. 

This used to be a problem for me.  Any opinion running counter to my own was viewed as a personal attack.  Long after leaving my sheltered upbringing, I continued to oppose ideas and people that made me uncomfortable.  I dug in and held onto outdated opinions longer than I should have.  While I have since learned the art and science of rethinking, I know there is much I don’t know.  I also know there are still some deeply held beliefs I must continually reexamine. 

Imagine how much more enlightened our political discourse could be if everyone reassessed themselves and exhibited an openness to established facts and opposing narratives.  Society’s lack of introspection is even more puzzling since there is so much more information available to us.  Unfortunately, people tend to gravitate toward confirmation bias rather than seeking out new sources and viewpoints because it feels good.  We need to be OK with being uncomfortable. 

Let’s think back to how our opinions are formed.  When were they formed?  How were they formed?  Who helped form them?  Are they out of date, just like the above quote suggests?  This type of introspection also enables a lifelong habit of learning.  Seek out new knowledge or a different news source.  I try to think about how and why certain conspiracy theories continue to exist.  Despite evidence to the contrary why do ideas like vaccines causing autism, the world is flat, the moon landing is fake prevail?  No doubt people’s identity is wrapped up in these beliefs, causing entrenched opinions. 

How do we get beyond this?  Grant also points out that we should identify with our values, not our opinions.  Values such as knowledge, truth, openness, goodness, family, and freedom are something we can all get behind.  Why shouldn’t we frame our identity and beliefs with these values rather than, say, a political party – a construct I believe has done more to enable intellectual laziness than anything else.  In that same vain, there should be no idea or book too extreme to be exposed to.  This project was started in part due to my desire to challenge myself and others with a variety of opinions.  I read (and even recommend) many books I disagree with.  But we should never be afraid to challenge ourselves and rethink our most firmly held beliefs.