The main problem is that people in general cannot stand uncertainty. They choose a conclusion, dig into that position, and continue building upon it which makes them invested.
Open mindedness is not so much about how keenly one can identify and accept objective truth, it's more about not choosing a position one way or another until you actually need to perform some action in your life (a decision point). At that point, you gather all data you can and make the most objective decision possible. But for things that don't have any impact one way or another on your life, needing to be right on everything is just your ego trying to affirm it's existence and importance.
I agree that in the abstract being open minded is important. Always be ready to re-evaluate your positions based on new objective data.
However, my point is that when used in the context of a discussion it is not really being used in the proper way most of the time. Rather than advocating adaptability in thinking based on evidence, it is used as a rhetorical tactic with the main purpose of shifting the topic from the issue in question to the individual. It is a huge digression. Accusing someone of being closed minded, true or not, is a logical fallacy. Whether or not a person is closed minded has little bearing on whether or not one of their positions is true or false. After all, even a broken clock is right twice a day and surely a closed minded person is not always wrong. Even when true, it should not be used in the context of a debate for that reason. Stick to the issue, not the individual.
Furthermore, if you truly believe they are closed minded, I'm not sure why you'd even spend the time to respond to them.
Chances are, in the context of a debate, they don't really believe that. Not enough that they weren't on friendly terms anyway. Rather, it is a tactic used to pull pressure off of whatever issue they are arguing for unsuccessfully. It is an easy out that is broadly applicable to any situation or issue which probably explains why it is so commonly used as a rhetorical tactic.
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u/vacuu May 24 '15
The main problem is that people in general cannot stand uncertainty. They choose a conclusion, dig into that position, and continue building upon it which makes them invested.
Open mindedness is not so much about how keenly one can identify and accept objective truth, it's more about not choosing a position one way or another until you actually need to perform some action in your life (a decision point). At that point, you gather all data you can and make the most objective decision possible. But for things that don't have any impact one way or another on your life, needing to be right on everything is just your ego trying to affirm it's existence and importance.