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FLIP_TEST

                                                 October 22, 2018


Whenever anyone discusses "motivated
reasoning" i.e. our recalcitrance to
change opinion in the face of contrary
evidence, there's this parlor game that     Because what the world
gets trotted out, "have you ever changed    needs now is for
your mind about anything?"                  intelligent, well-
                                            intentioned people to be
I'm coming to hate this game...             more wishy-washy.

One problem is that if I play it                I don't think our
*seriously* (rather than reaching for           conservative friends
something convenient to say) I can get          have contests like this.
incredibly bogged down in what would be
trivia to anyone else-- how exactly did
I feel about that issue way back when?
Was I really all that committed, or just
somewhat interested?  Was my shift big     ("I once thought those guys
enough to really regard as a change?       were kinda dorky but they
And *why* did I change?  Was it really     had some good points, but now
in the light of new evidence, or was it    I think they're total goof
some sort of change in social              balls and nobody cool
allegiances?                               expects them to come up with
                                           anything neato.")
And what if you're
someone who has
managed to get most
things right all          But I *can* think of one clear and
along?  Are you           unambiguous change in my opinions
supposed to be            about what was and still is an issue
apologetic that you       of the day:
can't thing of
something to recant?      SOCIALIZED_MEDICNE

Consider something                  So, the fact that I've
like the nuclear                    establish a case where
power debate: is it                 I've completely flipped
the pro or the anti                 demonstrates that I'm a
side that's most                    thoroughly reasonable
recalcitrant, and why               fellow who never
would you care?  The                engages in pig-headed
goal isn't to                       stubborness, right?
identify which side
has ever changed,                         (You should listen
it's to identify                          to me, *because I've
which side *should*                       been wrong before!*)
change.

   NUCLEAR_DERANGMENT



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