Behind the Looking Glass;
Seeking the Other Perspective

By Jen


The world is flat.
Centuries ago, this was the prevailing scientific theory. The world was flat, and if people were to travel past the horizon they would plummet off the edge into the abyss. Everyone believed it. They had been told this from birth. The most educated people on the planet said it was so. It was passed from one generation to the next and rarely questioned. Those who questioned it were simply labeled heretics and disposed of in the most painful ways possible. This limited examination. There was no need for testing. It simply was.
In the present day, however, the general population knows this concept to be false. The world is, of course, round. How was this knowledge attained? Why are people positive that what they know about the shape of the earth is correct? It is simple. The theory of the world being flat did not hold up to intensive scrutiny. Conversely, the theory of the earth being round has been able to withstand centuries of analysis. Through continual re-evaluation, it was refined and strengthened. It became not just theory; but fact. Imagine what the world would be like if the leading minds of the time had never challenged their beliefs. Think of all the knowledge that would never have been discovered. The world would be a small, dark and ignorant place. It is lazy, cowardly and close-minded for educated people not to strive for knowledge and understanding of beliefs that challenge their own.
Some believe the only way to strengthen their beliefs is to find other opinions that bolster their own. While it is comforting to bask in the warmth of agreement, it requires no true effort. Having to defend beliefs to others is an important way to strengthen them. The only way to see if something will hold water is to fill it up and see if it leaks. A badly leaking cup will never be able to quench thirst. For example, after the horrible events of September 11, the Department of Homeland Security was formed. Its main purpose was preparing America in the event of another catastrophe. With FEMA being absorbed into DHS, its mission included preparation in the event of natural disasters visited upon the United States as well. Untested laws and procedures were enacted to ensure America's health and security. After Hurricane Katrina came ashore in New Orleans, those procedures were put to the test. With cameras rolling, America saw all the holes. It was a horrible loss of life. However, there was a thin silver lining. Now the holes are seen and fixable. People should thirst for the opportunity to look for the holes; especially the ones they can't see.
Sometimes people are so blinded by their convictions they can't see the holes in them. As David Bohm argues in "On Communication", "what is crucial is to be aware of the nature of one's own blocks." (Bohm 14) The only way to build convictions is to let someone else evaluate them and find the holes and weak spots. Even the greatest writers in the world retain the services of others to proofread their work. This practice implies no weakness. It acknowledges human error. The author of a text may read it a dozen times and never pick out a grammatical error. However, an objective third party discovers the error quickly. It is a good idea to analyze the opponent's beliefs in the same manner. Objective inspection allows people to find the holes in the opposition's theory.
As any good defense attorney will attest to, the best way to defend a theory is to punch holes in the opposition's argument. Therefore, it is advantageous to hear the other perspective. Once that is done, people are able to research and find the information to punch holes in their opponent's beliefs and patch their own holes to make their position stronger. If Americans want to challenge radical Islamic beliefs, they don't quote bible verses. Instead, they study the Koran. They find the inconsistencies. They punch holes. It takes hard work to maintain anything of value. Beliefs are no different.
People should never become complacent in their quest for knowledge. It would be pure folly to stand on a tree limb before testing its strength and resilience. People should treat their beliefs the same way. If they don't take the time and effort to test their beliefs, those convictions might not hold up when finally challenged, thus sending them crashing to the earth. For example, the Food and Drug Administration puts all new drugs through rigorous trials before approving their safety. How many people would be maimed and killed if there was no testing? It would be terrifying and disastrous.
Exposure to opposing beliefs can be a disturbing and frightening experience. The fear of being wrong pushes people to ignore other's viewpoints. The joy of communicating beliefs should always override the fear of being wrong. It is cowardly for people to surround themselves with like-minded individuals so ideas will never be questioned. As Christopher Phillips, author of "Socrates Café", states, "We subscribe to the ethos that it is not enough to have the courage of your convictions, but you must also have the courage to have your convictions challenged". (Phillips) Fearing challenges stunts intellectual growth. White supremacist groups illustrate this point. Racist people tend to associate with those that approve of their views. They intimidate challengers into silence. By doing this, it allows them to stay ignorant and hateful. However, if they allowed exposure to other ethnic groups, they might open their mind and cast those views aside.
Looking at a viewpoint contradictory to their own allows people to open their minds to other possibilities. It would be hubris to think there is only one right answer to every issue. Educated people acknowledge that all issues are not one-dimensional. As Lakoff and Johnson state in "Metaphors We Live By", " Rather than obtaining a single correct view, we must instead recognize that possibility of several true but contradictory views" (Lakoff 7). People need to realize that if they take two people and show them the same object but from different angles, the subjects would give two different perspectives of that object. Neither perspective would be wrong. It would just be different. If they take the same two people and have them switch seats the subjects would see the other's view and understand. When baby proofing a home, doctors will tell parents to crawl around the house on their hands and knees. This activity allows parents to see through the child's eyes and discover what draws their attention. Parents find dangers unseen at their normal perspective. The proper perspective is important for understanding.
Understanding is a key component of true education. Education should not be the regurgitation of facts and ideas. It needs to be the exploration of these facts and ideas. These include not just the predominately accepted ones. Society must continue to be teachable. They have to stay open to the possibilities. Christopher Phillips relates that he does not have a Socrates Café to bestow his wisdom on others but rather so they can bestow theirs on him. He goes on to state that he gains from the viewpoints of others. (Phillips) It is important to remember that just because the majority sees an issue one way does not make it right. As John Stuart Mills professes in "Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion", people are at risk of "preventing the growth of any real and heartfelt conviction" when the opposite view is ignored. (Mill 36) An enlightened person can see all sides of an argument; including the sides they don’t agree with. Seeing all sides may lead to something profound but not yet realized. An example of this is the Cold War. Since the 1950's, America and the Soviet Union sowed the seeds of anxiety and mistrust. For decades it shaped every aspect of our world. The threat of mutual assured destruction and communist invasion forced our eyes and minds to close. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall, we opened our eyes. The mistrust is gone. It has been replaced with peace and the revelation that we are more alike than different.
Ideally, exposure to contrary beliefs can provoke revelation. Bohm argues that something new can be created when people are able to listen to one another without preconceptions or trying to influence the other unduly. He goes on to state that sometimes when contrasting ideas meld into something new, the result is greater than the sum of its parts. (Bohm 13) Sometimes the middle ground is the most fertile. When confronted with enough compelling evidence, people should be willing to change their beliefs as well. Denying the evidence would leave people as ignorant and static as before the evidence was presented.
Ignorance is defined as having a lack of knowledge or education. If no one, centuries ago, had harvested the courage, fortitude and the open-mindedness to test the predominant beliefs of the time, true knowledge would have been lost. Perceptions would never have changed. An educated population must, therefore, strive for exposure to ideas outside their own convictions. Having beliefs challenged is a positive experience. It forces society to be full of courageous, open-minded critical thinkers. None of these attributes are bad. People have to examine why they have their convictions. Do they believe them or are they simply spitting back the teachings of their parents and educators? Can they defend their convictions articulately if they never know the other side of the argument? What is the use of having convictions if they are never questioned? If people do not open their eyes wide enough, they will never see the entire picture. Society would be diminished and one-dimensional. It would not be whole, and the world would still be flat.






















Works Cited

Phillips, Christopher. Socrates Café: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy. 2001 W.W. Norton and
Company NY, NY
Bohm, David. "On Communication." The Human Experience: Who Am I? GNED 102 2nd. Ed.
Comp. and eds. Jeffery Sinn, et. al. Rock Hill Tapestry Press, 2005.
Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. "Metaphors We Live By." The Human Experience: Who Am
I? GNED 102 2nd. Ed. Comp. and eds. Jeffery Sinn, et. al. Rock Hill Tapestry Press, 2005.
Mill, John Stuart. "Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion." The Human Experience: Who
Am I? GNED 102 2nd. Ed. Comp. and eds. Jeffery Sinn, et. al. Rock Hill Tapestry Press, 2005.