Open-mindedness

{{Short description|Receptiveness to new ideas}}

{{About|the psychological concept||Open mind (disambiguation)}}

Open-mindedness is receptiveness to new ideas. Open-mindedness relates to the way in which people approach the views and knowledge of others.{{multiref2

|1={{cite journal | title= Dealing with Scarce Resources: Open-Minded Interaction for Resolving Budget Conflicts | journal= Group & Organization Management | year= 1998 | last1= Tjosvold | first1= Dean | last2= Poon | first2= Margaret | volume= 23 | issue= 3 | pages= 237–58 | doi= 10.1177/1059601198233003 | s2cid= 145375329 }}

|2={{cite journal|title= Knowledge Creation in Groups: The Value of Cognitive Diversity, Transactive Memory and Open-mindedness Norms|first1= Rebecca |last1=Mitchell |first2= Stephen |last2=Nicholas |name-list-style= amp |journal= Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management|volume=4|number=1|pages=67–74|year= 2006|url=https://academic-publishing.org/index.php/ejkm/article/view/737}} }} Jason Baehr defines an open-minded person as one who "characteristically moves beyond or temporarily sets aside his own doxastic commitments in order to give a fair and impartial hearing to the intellectual opposition".{{Cite journal|last= Baehr|first= Jason|year= 2011|title= The Structure of Open-Mindedness|journal= Canadian Journal of Philosophy|volume= 41|issue= 2|pages= 191–213|doi= 10.1353/cjp.2011.0010|s2cid= 55516406}} Jack Kwong's definition sees open-mindedness as the "willingness to take a novel viewpoint seriously".{{Cite journal|last=Kwong|first=Jack M.C.|year=2015|title=Open-Mindedness as a Critical Virtue|url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Kwong_jack_2015_Critical%20Virtue.pdf|journal=Topio|volume=35|issue=2|pages=403–411|doi=10.1007/s11245-015-9317-4|s2cid=10757787}}

According to Wayne Riggs, open-mindedness springs from an awareness of the inherent fallibility of one's beliefs; hence, open-minded individuals are more inclined to listen to, and seriously consider, alternative viewpoints.{{Cite journal|last= Riggs|first= Wayne|year= 2010|title= Open-mindedness|journal= Metaphilosophy|volume= 41|issue= 1–2|pages= 172–188|doi= 10.1111/j.1467-9973.2009.01625.x|s2cid= 240236568}}

There are various scales for the measurement of open-mindedness.{{cite journal|title= A revised scale for the measurement of open‐mindedness|journal= Speech Monographs|last= Haiman|first= Franklyn S.|pages= 97–102|volume= 31|issue= 2|year= 2009|doi= 10.1080/03637756409375396}} Harding and Hare argued that schools should emphasize open-mindedness more than relativism in their science instruction, because the scientific community does not embrace a relativistic way of thinking.{{cite journal|title= Portraying Science Accurately in Classrooms: Emphasizing Open-Mindedness Rather Than Relativism|first1= Patricia |last1=Harding |first2=William |last2=Hare|doi= 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(200003)37:3<225::AID-TEA1>3.0.CO;2-G|journal= Journal of Research in Science Teaching|volume= 37|issue= 3|pages= 225–236|year= 2000|bibcode= 2000JRScT..37..225H}}

Among other things, {{clarify|reason=what's that?|text=the critical attitude|date=August 2023}} involves an open-minded outlook with respect to one's beliefs.{{Cite web|url= https://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Educ/EducHare.htm|title= Bertrand Russell on Critical Thinking |work=Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy|location=Boston, Mass.|last= Hare|first= William|date= 1998}}

Open-mindedness is generally considered{{by whom?|date=December 2019}} an important personal attribute for effective participation in management teams and other groups.{{cn|date=December 2019}} Open-mindedness is usually encouraged{{by whom?|date=December 2019}} in group settings, within different cultures and new environments.{{cite journal|journal= California Management Review|title = The Top Management Team: Key to Strategic Success |year= 1987|volume= 30|issue= 1|pages= 88–108|last= Hambrick|first=Donald C.|author-link= Donald C. Hambrick|jstor= 41165268|doi = 10.2307/41165268 |s2cid = 155702534 }}{{qn|date=December 2019}}

According to David DiSalvo, closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain's natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a "search and destroy" relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people's current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable by introducing such ambiguity.{{cite book|title= What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite|first= David|last= DiSalvo|publisher= Prometheus Books|year= 2011|isbn= 978-1-61614-483-8}} Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency.

{{cite journal

|title= Open- and closed-mindedness, belief-discrepant communication behavior, and tolerance for cognitive inconsistency|last1= Hunt|first1=Martin F. Jr. |last2= Miller|first2= Gerald R. |journal= Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|volume= 8|issue= 1|year=1968|pages= 35–37|doi= 10.1037/h0021238|pmid= 5638020}}

Virtues contrasting with open-mindedness include steadfastness, loyalty, and fundamentalism.