In The Matrix, Morpheus implores Neo to free his mind. All of the things he believed about the world around him has to be unlearned. For him to fully comprehend the truth, he has to abandon all that he believes.
The deeper point in Morpheus’s words is that we should question everything. No matter how much we think we know, there is always something to learn.
Strong held beliefs can get in the way of us learning. When we are inflexible about what we believe, we don’t challenge our thoughts. It’s actually a defense mechanism that our egos use to protect our self-image. If what we believe is questioned, we have an innate need to “protect” our position and we are immovable. We lack curiosity about a new perspective or point of view because we feel like it is an attack on us.
Some people I know get very defensive when you even hint at challenging what they believe. They refuse to have an open debate about it because they don’t want any holes poked in what they believe. And this is where confirmation bias can come in. Instead of listening to someone else’s opinion that might challenge what they believe, they ignore it because contradicts their existing views. They may also interpret anything that is said to conform to their world view – even if it doesn’t make sense.
Personally, I like my beliefs being challenged. Some of the people closest to me see things radically different than me, and it’s awesome. My favorite philosophical conversations are with people who have opposing views. I’m curious about everything and one of two things will happen after that conversation:
1.) I will feel more confident in what I believe or
2.) I will learn something new or discover a new perspective that will intrigue me.
I will investigate more and do my own research to understand it better. The truth is, you will never learn something from those who agree with you. The worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is create an echo chamber around yourself.
