From the podcast “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling”, with Megan Phelps-Roper. Series 1 Ep 7. At ~ 47:00
Test yourself to see if you might be wrong about a deeply held belief. With these questions:
1. Are you capable of having real doubt about your beliefs? Or are you operating from a position of certainty?
2. Can you articulate the evidence you’d need to see to change your position? Or is your perspective unfalsifiable?
3. Can you articulate your opponents position in a way they’d recognise? Or are you straw-manning?
4. Are you attacking ideas or the people who hold them?
5. Are you willing to cut off relationships with people who disagree with you over small points of contention?
6. Are you willing to use extraordinary means against people who disagree with you? (Like cancelling, getting them fired, deplatformed, etc).
ADDED: I like the list above. I’ve asked folks recently: “Have you changed your mind over anything of consequence?”. Which is along the lines above. And the answers, so far, have all been “no”. With some surprise that it’s “no”. Some thought that they have to think a little more about the question. But still coming up “no”. Which now amazes me. To think that you’ve been on this earth for ... forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, more.... years, and all your ideas, all the thoughts you had as a kid, you’ve still got them? You haven’t changed one?
That’s Megan’s test above. Both sides on the issue of Trans rights -- J.K. Rowling and the Trans Radical Activists -- firmly believe they are right. Though it seems clear to me from the podcast that Jo Rowling is the more willing to examine her beliefs. The TRA folks don’t even want to debate. They say “debate is dangerous”. That’s where we are. That talking is no-no. Crazy.
What if you’re wrong?
