Are you opened minded?

Question

Consider whatever you believe in; be it religion, horoscopes. psychics, dowsing, or UFOs. Are you sufficiently open minded to consider the possibility that it may not be real? That it all could be a lie?
I ask this because I was called close minded because I said there was no such thing as paranormal activity. ...that all psychics were either deluded or phonies.
So...If I am close minded in saying they don’t exist, isn’t someone else equally as close minded for insisting they do?

I just wanted to add....21 answers so far and they are all well thought out and thought provoking. Thank you all

Answer 1

I have no desire to become so open-minded my brains fall out. Declaring that the supernatural doesn't actually exist isn't "narrow-minded," it's rational. To my mind, cold hard reality trumps all unsubstantiated speculations. It is the burden of those making wild assertions to prove that their theories have at least some merit. If supernatural forces are at work, prove it. This is of course impossible, because supernatural forces by definition can't actually exist. If they did actually exist, they would then be called natural forces and nobody would be surprised that they actually work. Countless millions have been spent looking for some shred of evidence to validate paranormal events. Nothing much has been found. Apparently, reality actually operates by entirely natural means.

Do not be decieved by the wishful thinking of the simple minded. Healthy skepticism and a deep respect for physical science is the best way to discover the truth about how reality actually operates.

Answer 2

Yeah, but it's only smart to realize that there are some things that are just untrue. Horoscopes, that's all BS, psychics--con artists. Being open minded doesn't necessarily mean being naive. It show intelligence to be open to new ideas and consider all points of view, such as religion, war, current events, controversies in society, etc. But one should also accept what is real, and dismiss what is not. Otherwise, we're all living for a fantasy and too hung up on the "what could be".

Answer 3

What most people call "open-minded" I call being unneccessarily skeptical. If all "open-mindedness" can do is cause you to go through life questioning everything and everybody without due regard for realizing alot of things are simply the way they are, you're a few steps away from driving yourself and everyone else nuts. That some things should be questioned there's no doubt. But, every person I know who says of themselves "I'm open-minded" (like it's a badge of honor), also is a person who is first to call you closed-minded because you just happen to have a different opinion. Myself, I prefer to be "closed-minded" which simply means that the "filters" are up and operational and not accepting just everything that comes down the road.


Btw- "paranormal activity" is nothing less than delusional schizophrenia in those who claim to "experience" it.

Answer 4

I am open minded.....I try to learn what I can about a subject, so I can make an informed decision......Religion has left me wanting. Aliens, I have an easier time believing in. Psychics.....I am sure there are some out there that are for real, just not Sylvia Brown or that lady with the fruit hat who was on TV late at night advertising her call in line. My horoscope is surprisingly accurate alot of the time.............Does that mean I will live by it, and not leave the house if it says I will have a bad day.....nope. But some of these things to me are easier to grasp than organized religion........

Answer 5

I'm not sure how ipen minded I am, but the key to being open minded is the ability to say Idon't know as you don't have an answer pluging in the gap. For example lets take UFO's I can 100% say they are real as people are seeing things in the sky that they can not identify the real question is what are they? The person who says 100% they must be alien and refuses to lestine to alternitive theorys is as close minded as the person who says it must be swamp gass as Aliens don't exist or can't be visiting us. As I am close minded in some areas, the next question is how detrimintal is it to be close minded? In this case how much of your univrsal peridgm is based on X being true
and what happens if it gets shattered?

Answer 6

i think of it relies upon on the two the circumstances and the guy in touch no count if one is open or closed minded. working example there could properly be some very closed minded people, properly i understand some, who're very tolerant (very almost to the component to open mindedness, you will think of), purely with the aid of fact of who the different man or woman is. it fairly is one occasion of the place an exception to the guideline applies. yet for the main area you prefer the two purely like warm and chilly interior the actual realm of thermodynamics. For without the interplay between warm and chilly or opposites, existence could grow to be stagnant and entropy. that doesn't be a real contemplated image on existence. So interior the tip I do renowned the existence of the two contraptions of minds. And on the comparable time word the exceptions and the organic effect of the interplay that occurs between them. Society as an entire does flow forward. that's what i think of.

Answer 7

I would say yes, but to the latter.

Paranormal activity is within the mind of the imaginer. How do I know this?

Easy! There's no evidence.

I need rock-solid evidence DNA-strong! If this cannot be achieved, I dismiss it as imaginary.

Open-mindedness is relative and depends upon who you ask. A believer may tell you they are, but a non-believer may tell you they are, as well.

Answer 8

Well if you have witnessed something yourself and know that it exists, then it is not closed minded to say it exists. You are stating what you know to be the truth. When someone who has never experienced a thing says it doesn't exist, what they should say is they don't believe it exists because they have never experienced it. Because you cannot un-know something you have direct evidence of just for the purposes of political correctness.

Answer 9

While I consider myself open minded, that does not preclude me from having an opinion on whether or not certain things are true or false. What it means is that I will look honestly at the opinions and evidence that those of opposing views present and am willing to change my views if convinced otherwise.

Answer 10

Many of the things we take for granted today were at one time considered impossible, ridiculous, and silly. Like electricity. Television. Photography. Airplanes. If we were all as close-minded as you we'd still be using oxen to pull our carts around and living in filth. Thank the gods there are enough people open-minded enough out there to ask "what if?" and to experiment.