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A comment on It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds. Parent comment

Re:It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds by JohnFen on Tuesday June 27, 2023 @10:49AM (#36493692)
Yes. What makes people smarter or wiser is precisely that they work to get to the positions they hold (even if those positions are mistaken), and never stop questioning themselves or evaluating information that could change their position.

People seriously overvalue "being right". Discovering you're wrong is far more valuable and is worthy of celebration. It means you learned something, and are just a little less ignorant as a result.

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Re:It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds by Eisenstein on Tuesday June 27, 2023 @11:16AM (#36494101)
> Discovering you're wrong is far more valuable and is worthy of celebration.

Sure, but if in the course of being convinced of the wrong thing they have caused harm it should cause guilt and embarrassment.

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Re:It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds by JohnFen on Tuesday June 27, 2023 @11:44AM (#36494496)
Hmmm, an interesting thought.

I think that regardless of whether or not someone's belief is correct, causing harm to unconsenting others should always cause some amount of guilt or embarrassment.

But if I hold a belief that is leading me to cause harm to people, and then I discover that I'm wrong, is that not a reason for even greater celebration? It means that I have become a less harmful person.

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Re:It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds by Eisenstein on Tuesday June 27, 2023 @11:59AM (#36494680)
All of this is taking for granted that we know what 'right' and 'wrong' are. The takeaway from 'I was wrong' should always be 'I can still be wrong'.
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Re:It's weird that people get mocked for changing their minds by JohnFen on Tuesday June 27, 2023 @12:14PM (#36494881)
Of course! Only a fool is 100% convinced that their positions are right or wrong in some absolute sense. Enlightenment is an ongoing process, not a destination.
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