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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:04 am Post subject: An open mind |
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Have any idea what that means? I have not a clue about the origins of this expression. It gets thrown about like dirty clothes.
I cannot imagine a person on this planet who has an open mind. If he or she exists, I'd surely like to befriend.
Why do we use this somewhat trite expression? Do any of us suppose we possess this wonderful quality?
No, consider. Your mind is as closed as the shell you might be lucky to find on the beach.
An open mind? What a ridiculous expression. |
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Panda
Joined: 25 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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I have never seen an unconditionally open/close-minded people, we all are open-minded on some aspects and close-minded on the others.
Within a certain range, the more open-minded you are, the more intelligent you are, the better common sense you have and thus more popularity you get. Beyond that, people on two extremes are either regarded as weirdos or psychos.
Also, the extent of we being open minded seems related with how stubborn and irritable we are, hence an extremely stubborn angry fogey or a flipflopper without any principle doesnt really exist. |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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I find your definition of open-mindedness somewhat close-minded.  |
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Panda
Joined: 25 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Underwaterbob wrote: |
| I find your definition of open-mindedness somewhat close-minded. |
I said there was no unconditional open-mindness, as to myself, I wouldnt get mad at you even you called me close-minded, trying to be reasonably sceptical and judgemental is more of what I appreciate.
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: An open mind |
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| jajdude wrote: |
| Have any idea what that means? I have not a clue about the origins of this expression. It gets thrown about like dirty clothes. |
Is it that hard to puzzle out? An open-minded person is one whose mind is open to new ideas which may contradict previously held beliefs. That doesn't mean they will blindly accept anything, it simply means they will consider new, opposing viewpoints rather than reject them out of hand.
I don't think that's a particularly shocking or rare trait in people. Many people are fairly closed-minded about certain topics, but very few people are closed-minded about everything, and most people are probably open-minded about most things.
Open-mindedness is the entire basis of Philosophy and Science as we know them. The pure fact that we've made progress in those fields shows a certain open-mindedness in our species. |
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poet13
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Location: Just over there....throwing lemons.
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| I've met lots of open-minded people. They were all less than 12 months old. |
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loggerhead007
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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He's bobbin' again!
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Panda
Joined: 25 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: Re: An open mind |
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| Fox wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Have any idea what that means? I have not a clue about the origins of this expression. It gets thrown about like dirty clothes. |
Is it that hard to puzzle out? An open-minded person is one whose mind is open to new ideas which may contradict previously held beliefs. That doesn't mean they will blindly accept anything, it simply means they will consider new, opposing viewpoints rather than reject them out of hand.
I don't think that's a particularly shocking or rare trait in people. Many people are fairly closed-minded about certain topics, but very few people are closed-minded about everything, and most people are probably open-minded about most things.
Open-mindedness is the entire basis of Philosophy and Science as we know them. The pure fact that we've made progress in those fields shows a certain open-mindedness in our species. |
Agreed. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:12 pm Post subject: Re: An open mind |
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| Fox wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Have any idea what that means? I have not a clue about the origins of this expression. It gets thrown about like dirty clothes. |
Is it that hard to puzzle out? An open-minded person is one whose mind is open to new ideas which may contradict previously held beliefs. That doesn't mean they will blindly accept anything, it simply means they will consider new, opposing viewpoints rather than reject them out of hand.
I don't think that's a particularly shocking or rare trait in people. Many people are fairly closed-minded about certain topics, but very few people are closed-minded about everything, and most people are probably open-minded about most things.
Open-mindedness is the entire basis of Philosophy and Science as we know them. The pure fact that we've made progress in those fields shows a certain open-mindedness in our species. |
You are right. I was drunk. Anyway, I was just wondering about the phrase as it is often used. Keep an open mind, have no preconceptions, whatever the situation. Of course it is not rare, but it is temporary and according to personal bias. So I stand by my claim, that no one has an open mind. If they do, it is for a short while, then it returns to its usual way.
Someone far wiser than me pointed out that we rarely have discussions in which we are willing to accept others' ideas completely. Usually we come with our own sets of ideas about various things and want to persuade others of them, have ourselves confirmed, soothe our fragility a bit. Watching political debates, where the heights of hypocrisy have been scaled, is a good example.
The mind is rarely open. I guess that's what I intended to say. It's always blabbering on.
Last edited by jajdude on Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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| loggerhead007 wrote: |
He's bobbin' again!
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I guess not. |
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Enrico Palazzo
Mod Team
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| loggerhead007 wrote: |
He's bobbin' again!
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Some people think they're so amusing, don't they? |
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roknroll
Joined: 29 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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Depends on the context OP.
If you're looking for a place to rent in the shared accommodations section of the newspaper, beware when they advertise "open-minded" people!  |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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I have noticed that people often use the term "open-minded" to refer to people in their own camp and "close-minded" to refer to people in the opposite camp.
That seems close-minded to me. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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That makes sense though, in a twisted way. Self-interest is served. Used all the time by the powerful who want to remain powerful. Propaganda.
"You're either with us or against us." Wasn't that Bush logic?
"Er, no, idiot. I'm against you." That's what I would have liked to say to that jerk.
"They hate freedom."
What? No one hates freedom. Maybe they just hate you. |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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| jajdude wrote: |
| "You're either with us or against us." Wasn't that Bush logic? |
If it was, it wasn't original with Bush.
That verse is from the Bible:
"He that is not with me is against me." Matthew 12:30
And a dandy verse it is, too.
It gives Christians a perfect excuse to go out and kill everybody who disagrees with them. |
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