this post was submitted on 12 May 2026
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[–] Iconoclast@feddit.uk 1 points 9 minutes ago

Changing your mind isn't something you do - it's something that's done to you. If you hear a compelling enough argument, you will change your mind whether you want to or not. If that doesn't happen, the argument wasn't good enough.

Obviously there are ways to resist changing your mind once that uncomfortable feeling starts creeping in, and that's called cognitive dissonance. When new information conflicts with your prior beliefs, you either try to discredit it - for example by attacking the suspected motives of the person making the argument, as many like to do - or you try to retroactively fit it into your existing belief structure instead of updating your views.

I change my mind all the time. It's not fun, but I have no choice. When someone makes a good point I can't refute, updating my beliefs is the only rational thing to do.

This is actually one of the most puzzling things about online arguments I run into here pretty much daily. More often than not, the people I'm arguing against don't even seem to try to change my view. They're just putting on a show to let everyone else know I'm making the wrong noises and need to be ridiculed for it. Shutting down the discussion like that just seems incredibly unproductive to me.