Can your beliefs, views, or opinions be changed?

[mb23100]

Of course.

 

[franklinstower]

Ok. So I'm watching this Flat Earth doc on Netflix called Behind the Curve at the behest of my buddy to show how hilarious these people are.
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God, I'm just confounded how people can believe stuff like this.

The sad part is if you, even took them up in a rocket via NASA to the ISS or something these people would probably justify their flat earth theory more stringently or find other reasoning to keep their belief.

They even took these people down to the Salton Sea and ran experiments proving spherecicity to no avail. They held on to their views even tighter.

So my question is. Do you think anyone could ever change a deeply seated belief, or viewpoint you have through enough persuasion or facts you didn't know of?

I wonder what the psychological diagnosis for this is because it's not just kooks that do this, almost everybody does when it comes to Politics, Religion or other Scientific subjects.

Have You ever had your strongest viewpoints changed?

So far in my life this has happened twice that my entire outlook on life has been changed radically to where not a single ideal survived without totally being changed or modified heavily.

In both cases it was not the result of arguments or even logic-- it was the result of entering into a deeper state of being through meditation which resulted in a totally new mindset and thus beliefs and such.

I am currently experiencing another of these but its happening more slowly than the first two.

 

[Alphaboy]

I never understood why people cared so damn much about flat Earthers. Who gives af if someone believes something silly, doesn't affect my life at all.

Anyway, yes. I do change my views all the time in light of new evidence. I wish most people were like that but most people aren't.

 

[no fat chicks]

As long as evidence is there sure.
I'm always struggling with gun control and could be swayed to either side potentially.

I'm mostly just a show me the evidence kind of guy.

 

[Big Tim]

My opinions on many things have changed as I’ve aged. I look back at my younger self and think what a fucking idiot I was.

 

[ferrisjso]

Yes. If the evidence is there. I think most people will. I think what's rare is people announcing they were wrong so people can tell. Usually when someone changes their mind they don't announce it and it just happens silently or gradually over time. The issue is people don't want to admit they are wrong, not they aren't open to changing their mind.

 

[Big Tim]

So far in my life this has happened twice that my entire outlook on life has been changed radically to where not a single ideal survived without totally being changed or modified heavily.

In both cases it was not the result of arguments or even logic-- it was the result of entering into a deeper state of being through meditation which resulted in a totally new mindset and thus beliefs and such.

I am currently experiencing another of these but its happening more slowly than the first two.

I suck at meditation, I haven’t given up on it though. Some of the most influential scholars and theologians I’ve read lean heavily on meditation and contemplation. It’s the human beings ability to contemplate that separates us from other creatures. Thomas Aquinas believes that only through meditation can mankind achieve what he calls “supernatural virtue”.

 

[ferrisjso]

I never understood why people cared so damn much about flat Earthers. Who gives af if someone believes something silly, doesn't affect my life at all.

Anyway, yes. I do change my views all the time in light of new evidence. I wish most people were like that but most people aren't.

Agreed. People who are objectively wrong should be went after primarily when their shit is causing societal harm. Flat earthers are a textbook example of the opposite. If society tomorrow was convinced the earth was flat there would be relatively minor consequences compared to climate denial, anti vaxx etc.

Flat earthers historically are a myth though. Humans(who thought about the subject) have always been aware the earth was round. That is only a weird this generation thing. The idea that we had to learn the earth was round, like we had to learn we revolve around the Sun is a myth.

 

[Alphaboy]

Flat earthers historically are a myth though. Humans(who thought about the subject) have always been aware the earth was round. That is only a weird this generation thing. The idea that we had to learn the earth was round, like we had to learn we revolve around the Sun is a myth.

Interesting, I never knew that. I guess that's another thing school taught us that's wrong.

 

[Axefan4life]

With enough facts or evidence, yes. I think it should be that way with everyone.

 

[franklinstower]

I suck at meditation, I haven’t given up on it though. Some of the most influential scholars and theologians I’ve read lean heavily on meditation and contemplation. It’s the human beings ability to contemplate that separates us from other creatures. Thomas Aquinas believes that only through meditation can mankind achieve what he calls “supernatural virtue”.

You are definitely speaking my language referencing Aquinas. For the last 15 years or so my whole approach has been contemplative prayer from the christian tradition.

 

[HARRISON_3]

A wise man once said, "I came here tonight, I didn't know what to expect. I seen a lot of people hate me and I didn't know what to feel about that so I guess they didn't like much nothin' either.

During this fight, I've seen a lot of changing, the way you felt about me, and in the way I felt about you.

In here, there were two guys killing each other, but I guess that's better than 20 million.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!"

 

[Tycho- Taylor's Version]

At this point they could be, but I'm working on creating a metaphorical hermetic seal on my worldview composed of a series of comprehensives circular reasonings and tautologies that will save me the effort of ever having to change my views again. Once this project is completed I will probably start a religion.

"The longer I live, the more I realize that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only wasted my time!"

 

[Tycho- Taylor's Version]

Beliefs are nodes in webs of understanding, that mutually reinforce each other. You can't nullify a single one without affecting the confidence of the whole system, or at least the local network.

Flat Earthers certainly have beliefs about facts, but the facts need to be dealt with on their merits. The reinforcing beliefs have to do with the dissemination of knowledge in society, the relationship dynamics between those with power/information and those without, the primacy of individual epistemology, and the significance of the human species.

It's quite a task dealing with all that. In my opinion the true threat behind the challenge is that while the facts relating to a round Earth no doubt exist, we've done such a shit job with those other background factors (not to mention a shit job acknowledging our shit job) that Flat Earthers are constantly made to feel like they do actually have a leg to stand on.

And from that deeper perspective, they almost do.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

If we are engaged in an argument you will never be able to change my opinion.

I'll change it later on behind your back so you never get the satisfaction of knowing you were right.

 

[Crocop42]

In my early 20's i was very liberal, borderline socialist. In my 30's, im very conservative.

Life experiences changed me.

 

[Big Tim]

You are definitely speaking my language referencing Aquinas. For the last 15 years or so my whole approach has been contemplative prayer from the christian tradition.

Aquinas is the GOAT IMO..... Have you ever read anything from St. John of the Cross?

 

[Thurisaz]

Have You ever had your strongest viewpoints changed?

I was a convinced atheist from the age I thought of religion at all to 27. Turns out I was wrong. I advocated for free speech and trade too. Bad ideas, both. I believed in evolution. I no longer do.

There are other things as well. I go where the truth takes me.

 

[ultimateriley-o]

It’s tough, but yeah, I know people can. I have. It’s usually an emotional defensive response followed by sober reflection on what facts you actually have available, and learning as much as you can.

I used to believe more hippie shit like pro-organic food and non-GMO type nonsense, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to believe that it’s mostly just marketing strategy.

The answer, in a perfect scenario, should be, “yes, with enough evidence, you should change your opinion.” I think most people won’t do that, but that’s how I think it should be.

 

[Big Tim]

“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” – ST. Augustine