It’s amazing how many ideas/beliefs/books/theories/dogmas/opinions are based upon facts that are out-of-date or that have been replaced or disproven. There is far too much permanence of ideas. Most ideas are so firmly established that even when an important building block is removed, the idea still stands.

This happens in every aspect of life. As a person continues with the entrenched narrative, it’s easy to not notice that the fact set has become different.

How many Bible scholars realize that it is no longer believed that the gospels were written in Hebrew/Aramaic? How many arguments and assumptions still exist that were invented based upon this belief?

How many Obstetricians in 1981 believed that alcohol could stop preterm labor? How many believe that magnesium does today?

We must deconstruct every belief carefully and analyze its core components; we must analyze every card that makes up a house of cards. When two people firmly believe opposite things, one or both of them are likely wrong about something that they don’t even realize they are wrong about, some obscure fact that long ago helped establish a false narrative.

It takes courage to deconstruct your core beliefs.

Imagine a president like this:

• He is the richest man ever to serve as US President. He didn’t earn this wealth; he was born into privilege and inherited his wealth from his father, who earned his wealth by breaking the law.
• After a last minute nomination in his own party’s convention, he was elected president in an extremely narrow and unexpected victory over his rival, a member of the former president’s cabinet.
• His campaign success seemed unlikely because of his unusual age and lack of experience in foreign affairs.
• He employed a novel form of media to disrupt the normal politics. 
• After the election, evidence emerged of interference and election rigging that likely affected the very narrow margin of victory.
• His unpopular party had, just three years before, led the opposition to an important and major piece of civil rights legislation being pushed by the opposing party. 
• He was elected despite his track record of womanizing and alcohol abuse. Though married, he was known to have had numerous affairs and sexual liaisons.
• While President, the affairs continued. He used the secret service to provide cover for his numerous affairs, including one with a Playboy bunny and an ongoing affair with his wife’s 21 year old secretary whom he hired based on looks.
• His poor understanding of foreign policy and misuse of government intelligence brought the US to the brink of nuclear war with the regime of a crazy dictator.
• He ordered his Attorney General to use the FBI to spy on those conducting large scale protests during his presidency. 
• Early in his presidency, he supported a controversial project that destroyed Native American land and forced the displacement of 600 Indians from their homesteads.
• He ordered his staff and physician to hide significant medical illnesses from the public and lie about his health.

Despite all of this, he continued to be loved by his adoring fans and his wife, whom he once had committed to a mental hospital for electroshock therapy after she found out about an affair, also played her part, standing by her man.

Yes, of course, I am talking about President John F. Kennedy. Who else?

Just because the other guy is wrong doesn’t mean that you are right.

Being wrong is not a unique trait. Don’t worry about proving others wrong, worry about trying to prove yourself wrong. That’s real intellectualism. Assume that you’re the idiot – and try to to prove it! That’s the scientific method.

Most people today don’t know the difference between virtue and virtue signaling; between rational and rationalization; between fact and narrative; between improbable and impossible; between natural and nature; between God and Science; between religion and philosophy; between the physical and the metaphysical; between reality and perception; between doing good and wanting to do good; between critique and criticism; between skepticism and nihilism; between thought and thoughtfulness; between leading and being in charge; between progress and change; between movement and motion, between being right and firmly believing that you’re right; between being moral and acting moral.

Are you a bigot? Probably.

If you’re like most people, your beliefs are unshakable, unquestionable, and probably wrong. You talk about being open-minded (a lot), but only when it comes to exploring new music or maybe new food. When it comes to religion, politics, economics, science, brand of bottled water – or most other beliefs which actually define you as a person, those beliefs which are integral to your sense of self and your identity – you’d sooner die than change your mind (regardless of facts, evidence, logic, or anything really).

You are a bigot.

You talk to people not to listen to their ideas, not to understand, but to tell them about the supremacy of your ideas, to signal your virtue, and to secretly make yourself feel smarter, more powerful, and more special than some dumb rube. The next time you see one your fellow bigots, you scoff at the rube’s ignorance and close-mindedness (the irony) and tell stories of their impenetrable beliefs that were resistant to your hateful axioms, your ad hominems, your shouting down, and your eye-rolling.