By Jackson Strelo ‘26 (DCI Fellow)
Perhaps this is obvious, but one of our core human desires (or cravings, really) is control. Biologically and psychologically, it is an inherited desire central to survival, security, and mental health. While most humans no longer feel the need to engage with these biological risks to survival, they now primarily interact with the psychological pendulum, and one of these wrinkles of control entails a sense of control over what they know. This definitely tracks on a human level, as knowledge, especially in the information age, is assumed to be attached to important aspects of our life — our credentials, our salaries, our authority, and so forth.
However, on a higher level, our views on the world, influenced by what we think we know or personal values, are attached to our identities. Thus, it is natural to assume that threats to our knowledge have the potential to create a cascade of psychological costs, and an equal potential for responses to peers, loved ones, and society. These are important to tackle, for the ideals of open-mindedness that are preached in spaces of discourse cannot be realized without welcoming these small, or large, discomforts.
Another cost, loosely related to identity, is the social cost of updating beliefs. While this may be nullified in more private conversations, the threat of welcoming or accepting a new opinion by a peer, family member, or teammate may look like an act of capitulation to the “updater” that will be perceived by the group. Whether or not it matters to them that their partner in conversation changed their mind, in good faith or not, it may matter how they believe the “winning” belief party may react to this, or perhaps how their own belief party will treat them moving forward. Exhibit A: Congress, where political dissent has carried real career costs for representatives.
As mentioned earlier, costs to credibility are also a threat when weighing our beliefs. Unlike identity, credibility is more aligned with our purpose when it comes to evaluating one’s knowledge and opinions. For example, a parent may reinforce their purpose as a parent by providing reliable and effective guidance to their children. However, if someone or something threatens their concept of “correct” parenting, they may react by 1) taking a hit to their credibility, accumulated over years of life and parenthood invested into their children and 2) feeling a sense of failure towards the product of their purpose — their children.
While the examples provided may paint the picture of belief update costs as explicit and easily amenable, that’s far from the case. Another key feature of these costs is that while they manifest in impulses, they’re attached to beliefs that were heavily invested in — through education, relationships, trust, or even the confidence we’ve built in ourselves. Thus, it’s safe to say that these barriers against true open mindedness are difficult to just ignore, never pass completely, and exist everywhere. However, a better democracy doesn’t demand us to ignore our human instincts, but rather to lean into humanity.
The same investments I’ve just mentioned can be translated into a sort of “counter-investment”. The same way that successful New Years Resolutions are realized are almost fully attributable to the time investment associated with the desired goal or habit. Simply put, the most important part is just showing up, figuratively and literally. Practice “hearing them out” — actually listen to why that new experimental album was a masterpiece ahead of its time, why pineapple belongs on pizza (I’m still not buying this one, but I’ve forced myself to hear both sides), or any silly take that challenges what and who you attach yourself to. You may just hear yourself saying the words “I never thought about it that way before”.
However, I’ll end with an important caveat to this skill of belief-updating: the goal isn’t to become someone who changes their mind easily. Not only does that conclusion disagree with the aforementioned psychological tendencies of the human race, but it’s also simply not a fair expectation to place on yourself. You should care deeply about who you are and you should carry pride in your knowledge — it’s crucial for your mental health. The goal is to not let the occasional belief update chip away at those pillars. If more Americans could do so, perhaps there’d be less family feuds, less political violence, and more progress on the issues we all care about.
