How sure are you about what you think? How do you know that you know what you know? How do you handle someone with a competing view?
When our beliefs are attacked, do we slip into the role of a preacher, a prosecutor, or a politician? Or do we approach ideas like a scientist?
That’s the basis of Adam Grant’s book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know (Penguin Books, 2021).
“We go into preacher mode when our sacred beliefs are in jeopardy: we deliver sermons to protect and promote our ideals. We enter prosecutor mode when we recognize flaws in other people’s reasoning: we marshal arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. We shift into politician mode when we’re seeking to win over an audience: we campaign and lobby for the approval of our constituents. The risk is that we become so wrapped up in preaching that we’re right, prosecuting others who are wrong, and politicking for support that we don’t bother to rethink our own views.”
— Adam Grant
Grant presents the alternative as that of a scientist.
“If you’re a scientist by trade, rethinking is fundamental to your profession. You’re paid to be constantly aware of the limits of your understanding. You’re expected to doubt what you know, be curious about what you don’t know, and update your views based on new data.”
— Adam Grant
Dr. Grant is an organizational psychologist and a professor at the prestigious Wharton College (and Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven years running!). He does not approach this subject necessarily from a Christian perspective, but I find it a fascinating subject with Christian applications.
It is so easy to get settled into one singular view of a matter and close oneself off to any thought that might seem contrary. But when I read the gospels, I see Jesus constantly challenging everyone’s views and provoking them to rethink.
A Bible teacher in my past once said, “No one of us has a corner on truth.” I still believe that today. While there are certain basics of the faith that are pretty cut and dried, there are many things that are in grey areas. That’s part of the mystery of God, I think. And that’s one of the reasons we need community. We need other brothers and sisters to challenge our faith and our thinking. We all bring different perspectives to the table that need to be considered. (Consider the fact that there are four gospel accounts, not just one. Why is that?)
One subject Grant does not attack is how rumors and gossip can influence our thinking. We can hear news about someone—information that may be true, false, or somewhere in between with a kernel of truth—that colors how we think of that person. Instead of approaching it like a scientist to test our hypothesis, we can let that gossip taint how we think, and we then spread that gossip further. (Adam, can you speak to this?)
I highly recommend Think Again by Adam Grant. It will challenge your thinking—and your rethinking.