I’m sure everyone has heard the Mark Twain quote “It’s not what we don’t know that gets us in trouble. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so”. However, considering how divided people are in this day and age, it’s extraordinarily hard to change anyone’s perspective. Especially when this closely ties into the person’s identity.

Conversely, being able to quickly change your perspective is a superpower today. Apart from PG’s advice to keep your identity small, I have another mental hack that I’m trying to use more often.

When you’re trying to actively inspecting your position on an issue, or you have intelligent, non-biased, earnest sources asking you to reconsider your position on an issue, just ask yourself what objective evidence is needed for you to be able to reassess your position. Then actively seek out that evidence as quickly as possible. Even inform other people that you’re seeking out this evidence to change your mind.

As a corollary, people who change their positions, especially when they’ve held a different position publicly that has been associated with their identity, might be worth listening to.