your mind is totally free to consider every side of a conversation, to envision every possible outcome to a problem, to learn something new, even when it destroyes a previous held truth.

Is that the nature of an open mind?

What is the danger in one's inability to be free, to envision to learn?

What closes a mind? How can it be opened again?

I'm open to all conversation regarding this topic.

What r u ....cause I want some

School, TV, newspapers. They tell you what to think, not how to think.

People are influenced by many factors such as their homes,parents,education , society ,economical situation .... So they ought to learn from experience and from all sorts of good books . Philosophy is an excellent subject to make a person free from the contradictions of life in general and espeicially the myths of religions and the lies of the politicians and the dishonesty of the media ....etc . add to that the beauty of math , chemistry and physics where you discover logic and nature laws . Science and philosophy are two gentle words that one can always see as real friends .

Zach - I absolutely agree, mass media (most especially in this country) has become just about the worst sourse for information on this planet.

But to be fair we have to apply at least half of the problem to those who have lost the ability to be a critical listener, and thinker.

People live in a fast paced society and most of their life is surrounded by thier drive to make a living and what is left is some small portion of energy for immediate family and then the brain dies. It refuesed to accept anything that requires more than 'hearing' and 'seeing' what someone else and connived for you to hear and see. Scary isn't it?

Sam53


Very nice, how could I not agree. But science and philosophy are much too big to pass through a mind closed by bias and belief.

Is there anything, any logic short of harm that would induce a person to CHANGE a belief in order to accept another truth - one based in science or in a philosophy backed by sceientific experiments?????

Good post Di! I think it boils down to choice. Simply choosing to disallow any other views, ideas, thoughts, or whatever, that are in conflict with your own. People who are open minded have chosen to be as are those who are close minded. There is gray area of course as people are open to an idea that is closely related to their own but closed to ideas that are polar opposites. Agree?

I think it all comes down to desire.

If you desire to believe in something more than you desire truth, then you're cling to whatever it is you prefer to believe in, and shun the truth.

On the other hand, if you desire to know truth more than you desire to cling to a particular belief, then you'll seek out truth, and let go of anything that has been shown to be lacking truth.

It all comes down to desire.

Right. And when the truth one seeks does not fit their objective then it is obviously not the truth as they wish to see the truth so it isn't the truth even if it is to someone else who sees that it is to them. Your truth is not everyone's truth as much as it pains you to see that. Facts are easily dismembered and the result is fantasy.

Truth never fits your objective.

In fact, if you have an objective other than truth itself, then you know that you are on the wrong path.

If you think that I want pantheism to be true, think again. It merely appears to be where truth is pointing.

Atheism could be true. And I'm certainly open to that idea as well. However, I do have reasons why I feel that it is not likely to be the truth. But I'm still open to the possiblity that it may be true anyway.

You've seen enough of my posts to know why I can't possible accept Mediterranean mythology as truth. I can clearly see that it is false. There is no question in my mind that it is false. It's not a biased descision. I have no reason to want it to be false. I simply see that it has to be false.

And to be perfectly honest about it I can't understand how anyone can't see through it.

I can give you a myriad of reasons why it can't be true. And nary a single reason why anyone should believe that it is true.

That's not personal bias. Not at all.

Okay,as you stated, it "appears" to be where truth is going for you. Let me know when it gets there and I will be willing to listen. And you most certainly can see a reason to see it as false abra as we all can...... you would be wrong.Your vision in the mirror is different from the artists rendition.

And those who are insane never truly believe they are!!

Hey Glen!
Those who think they are sane are crazy.

a person's mind can be exposed to thousand sources of knowledge. However, a mind has to be selective to what it chooses to keep or discard.
The mere fact that a person takes the time to consider several points of view it's the proof that this person has an open mind.
However, having an open mind does not mean that a person is required to held as truth whatever his/her mind is exposed to.
Then again the problem starts when an individual or a group of individuals try to impose their truth to others without thinking that nobody has or owns the truth.
Even christians through Revelations have just a little piece of the truth. There are a lot of misteries that are regarded as dogmas of faith. Dogmas of faith that I hold as truth (but this is just me).
In the same way as when nonbelievers consider what christians believe as delusional, the same happens to me when I read several sort of beliefs that people have.
However, it seems very funny to me how some people read the Bible and try to interpreted in sort of way to justify their modus vivendi. For instance trying to say that Jesus was gay as a prior thread posted here.
Or saying that a passage of the Bible has been mistranslated, and that such passage justify homosexuality.
I have nothing against gay people they are my brothers and sisters, and probably they are better people than me who proclaim to be a christian catholic, yet I have a lot of crap in me with which I have to deal.
I believe every single person who has an ego bigger than the world itself tries to proselytize what that person holds as truth. whether that person is a christian or not.
whenever our egoes go to sleep this nonsensical argument of who has the truth will end.
however, that is never going to happen because EGO is part of human nature which will never change.

TLW

Hey Steve

Glad to see you back Miquel!
Missed you brother

I'm always around Glenn.
I just don't engage in the nonsense anymore. I just read, ponder, and learn.

Such a shame I enjoy reading your words.

Good Evening / Early Morning Ladies & Gentlemen ...

My opinion is that

sometimes it is very very obvious

but othertimes ...

There is a very fine line between sanity and insanity


and who really is < qualified > to draw that line ???