how to not give a fuckplay devils advocate
you have opinions. strong ones. about politics, religion, diet, parenting, economics -- you know what you believe and you're pretty sure you're right. that certainty feels good. it also makes you dumber.
the echo chamber brain
your brain is a confirmation-seeking machine. it finds evidence that supports what you already believe and dismisses everything that doesn't. psychologists call this confirmation bias, and it affects everyone -- including you, especially when you think you're immune to it.
the result? your beliefs calcify. your arguments get weaker because they're never tested. and you become the kind of person who can't have a conversation with someone who disagrees without getting defensive or dismissive.
the antidote
find a topic you feel strongly about. now argue the other side. not sarcastically. not as a strawman you can easily knock down. genuinely, rigorously, and with intellectual honesty, make the strongest possible case for the position you oppose.
this is uncomfortable. it should be. if it's easy, you're not doing it right.
what happens when you argue against yourself
- you discover that the opposing view has merits you never considered because you never bothered to look
- you find weaknesses in your own position that your confirmation bias had been hiding
- you develop empathy for people who disagree with you, because you now understand the logic behind their position
- your own arguments get sharper because they've been stress-tested against the best counterarguments
the practical challenge
this week, pick a topic you have a strong opinion on. find someone who disagrees, or find a well-argued piece from the opposing perspective. then have a debate -- either with another person or in writing -- where you argue against your own beliefs.
the goal isn't to change your mind (though it might). the goal is to hold your beliefs with open hands instead of clenched fists. strong opinions, loosely held. that's intellectual maturity.
your beliefs should be able to survive scrutiny. if they can't, they were never worth holding in the first place.
if this resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it.