Liberal Thought ≠ Open Mindedness

While having a conversation with a friend about a polarising topic, I found myself having a more conservative approach to the issue. My friend turned to me, feeling offended, and said, “Raghav you should be more open minded” . Each time I tried to put forward the reasoning behind the thought, I was cut off by them and countered with another argument before I could complete mine. After the conversation I thought to myself “What is close mindedness or open mindedness?”.

Is open mindedness just applicable to liberal beliefs or how one interacts with different perspectives? While my stand in the argument might have been conservative, I was willing to change my opinion if the right arguments were provided. Is that not what open mindedness is all about- willingness to listen, evaluate, question and reconsider? Labeling someone as narrow minded without understanding their perspective seemed almost hypocritical to me.

Liberal thought values inclusivity, righteousness and equality. Modern day liberalism is a philosophy which majorly focuses on inclusivity when it comes to people non conforming to societal norms and equality for those marginalized. Whereas open mindedness is a way of thinking. It involves willingness to consider new perspectives, ideas, experiences and challenge their own beliefs. Many who advocate for liberal ideologies often believe that liberalism and open-mindedness go hand in hand. This becomes almost paradoxical when these people shut down any opposing arguments without a second thought.

True open-mindedness involves stepping into the opposer’s shoes. It involves introspection and challenging one’s own beliefs. It does not mean you should always be willing to change your opinion, but it does mean you should be willing to see the perspective of the opposer.

Ultimately, Open-mindedness is not exclusive to any ideology- it is a mindset that values curiosity, intellectual humility and willingness to perceive. To be truly open minded, one must not only challenge others but also shall be willing to challenge oneself.