Open-Minded

Joy Behar says that the difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals are open-minded and conservatives ... are not. Obviously, this is not intended to be a compliment. You see, everyone knows that "open-minded" is good and "closed-minded" (the alternative) is bad. No ... evil.

I think it's important to examine terms to find out what we mean. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find definitive sources because most of us assign meanings to terms and we don't necessarily do so by the dictionary. So, what does "open-minded" mean? Well, the dictionary says, "having a mind receptive to new ideas, arguments, etc.; unprejudiced". There is included in this idea the notion of "ready and willing to receive favorably". At Answers.com, this what they list for synonyms: "Broad-minded, liberal, progressive, tolerant." While obviously "narrow-minded" would be an antonym, so are "opinionated" and "prejudiced". It would seem, then, that Ms Behar is correct. Conservatives would be, according to the definition of the term, not "open-minded".

Of course, it does beg the question. Is there really such a thing as "unprejudiced" or even "tolerant"? Sounds like a stupid question, I know, but think about it. "Unprejudiced" means to be free from prejudice (duh!), to be free from bias. It means to be impartial. That is, it is a lack of ... influence. To be actually unprejudiced -- unbiased -- requires no inclinations at all. And that would require that you are not inclined to silly things like justice, truth, morality, the value of human life, and so on. Prejudice is the predisposition or preconception one has toward something ... and every human has it. Considering "open-minded", then, it would seem possible to be, as singer Steve Taylor wrote, "so open-minded that your brains leaked out". It seems to be a real problem because many who consider themselves "open-minded", "willing to consider new ideas", and "tolerant" are woefully unwilling to consider the possibility that ideas like conservatism, Christianity, and the like are of any value and will not tolerate these types things. That is, while claiming to be "open-minded", their arguments reject the concepts behind "open-minded".

The answer to next question, then, is not found in any dictionary or thesaurus. The question is about the value placed on "open-minded". Is it possible to be too open-minded? If, for instance, you arrive at facts, is it time to stop considering other ideas? The post-moderns thought not. To them, truth has no genuine meaning. Just because you believe that 2 + 2 = 4 is no reason for them to limit themselves to such conventions. Post-moderns have been an interesting lot in philosophy, but you really don't want one of them designing your new building, handling your banking needs, or flying your airplane. You see, in certain areas of life you do not want an open-minded person doing the work. You want hard facts, certain considerations, tried and true methods. Or how about all those emails from Africa that promise you riches if you'll just help out. Should you say, "Well, I know that all those ones in the past were hoaxes, but this time might be real"? Or should you learn from experience and stop listening to it? The latter would be ... narrow-minded. But preferable? When someone shows up and says, "We need to annihilate all infidels", do you really want world leaders who say, "Now, there's a thought with merit. Let's consider it"?

William Hare writes, "Properly understood, open-mindedness is a fundamental intellectual virtue that involves a willingness to take relevant evidence and argument into account in forming or revising our beliefs and values, especially when there is some reason why such evidence and argument might be resisted by the individual in question." He goes on to say, "Open-mindedness would not be the virtue that it is if it required us to waste time on ideas that have already been carefully scrutinized and found wanting." These ideas of open-mindedness, then, would not preclude conservatives from being open-minded. There is value to considering other viewpoints. There is value to considering other ideas than your own. It is the only way you'll be able to correct your own thinking. The Bible, in fact, is full of ideas that run directly contrary to normal human thinking, and there is no better way to transform your thinking than to allow the Bible to shape your mind. That kind of open-mindedness is of great value. I'd just caution you against an overvaluing of the concept. There is a time that narrow-mindedness is of equal value. Don't buy that notion that it is never a good idea to be intolerant or judgmental that comes from so many voices who will not tolerate certainty, confidence, or ideas that differ from theirs ... because they're so "open-minded". Oh, wait ... there's something wrong there, isn't there?