Can someone have an open mind and believe that they will never be proven wrong?
2007-10-26 01:59:52 · 16 answers · asked by Eleventy 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You can't of course. But a certain type of person very desperately needs to believe he is open minded, while at the same time has an equal or even stronger need to believe he is absolutely right. I've met many, many fundamentalists who live this ironic statement to its fullest.
2007-10-26 02:09:02 · answer #1 · answered by Acorn 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Belief creates its own reality
With that in mind then the answer is yes-but
The concern is that - "Am I Actually Open Minded When I Am Always Looking To Be Right?"
If you want to be right all the time you are going to have to do a lot of sudying and exparimentation to stay inside of that envelope - you may ask how would I know that?
I know that because I am a know it all - but I tired of that game - and chose to look at What It Would Be Like To Actually Have An Open Mind. To accomplish that I had to assume that - "I Don't Know That" and then be able to actully say that I don't know.
When you can understand what it means to have reliable proof then you will be able to say "I Don't Know."
2007-10-26 09:17:31 · answer #2 · answered by dennywisard 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nope. Those are two complete opposites. An open-mind is open to all interpretations, and nothing is ruled out.
Actually, I have an edit.
I have an open-mind but I did say "I am not wrong" a few days ago. My friends were telling me that Voodoo is a fact, and I was arguing that anything that cannot be scientifically proven is not a fact. So there, I said I am sooo not wrong.
2007-10-26 09:05:04 · answer #3 · answered by mrr86 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No. Believing that you will never be proven wrong is the definition of not having an open mind.
2007-10-26 09:04:41 · answer #4 · answered by *Photo-op* 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not at all. But only the agnostics are really open-minded; and then are disrespected for not making their minds up. To have an open mind, to me, would mean you are actively looking for the right answer, and open to what you might find.
I think both Christians and atheists are pretty sure of what they believe, and are not looking for evidence to the contrary. If they were presented with it, they might listen...or, more likely, they would find a way to explain it away. The human mind is very flexible in doing that!
2007-10-26 09:07:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, if they are definitvely right. (For instance, my shirt today is green. I am sooo not wrong.)
But on issues of religion and the "metaphysical," I think there are too many unknown aspects for anyone to be sure they cannot be proven wrong. We are learning too many weird things in physics, genetics, etc. for us to be certain of unexplained phenomena that some claim to have experienced. Lets not consider ghosts. I know a number of very sane people who claim to have seen them. I haven't, but I'm not ready it invalidate my friends' beliefs. I'm not saying there ARE ghosts, or that there are NOT, but that for all we know some crazy 11th dimension stuff could explain their experiences, so even if I say I don't believe in ghosts, it could come to pass that there are ghosts, at which point I will say "well I'll be damned. Ghosts. Who knew?"
:-)
2007-10-26 09:17:20 · answer #6 · answered by ZombieTrix 2012 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, The fact that you have extreme confidence, in the value and importance of a belief, does not mean, you will not listen to the good points made by others. Who knows, someone, sometime, may be able to, put some doubt, in this strongly held belief, or maybe not.
2007-10-26 09:14:54 · answer #7 · answered by astrogoodwin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, but why do we have to have an open mind about everything. on some things my mind is close end of story. proud to stand firmly on certain beliefs an not be swayed anything anyone says
2007-10-26 09:06:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
people with open minds learn from actual life experience.... not by what others tell them to beleive... that is why we say to grow old means go get wise...for it's through life experience that we learn and change and grow... In relgion you are told what to beleive at a relatively young age... and commanded to know no more... no matter what your life's experience might bring you to understand.
2007-10-26 09:08:23 · answer #9 · answered by Gyspy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that would be most of the religious people who answer on here, really. they say that they are open minded but will not back down in thinking there way is the only right way
2007-10-26 09:03:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋