Open-mindedness
19
Hare’s definition seems to encompass each of these
four possibilities and I take it that to be open-minded
in this way is a requirement for autonomy. Holding a
firm belief in this open-minded way is different from
holding a firm belief about which I will not entertain
the possibility that I might be wrong. I take this to be
one failure of open-mindedness (that is, closed-
mindedness) and 1 find it difficult to imagine how I
might be convinced otherwise, but just because I am
unable to imagine what such evidence might look like
I do not say that it cannot exist. There are numerous
historical examples where evidence that we now take
to be compelling was rejected because it did not cor-
respond with the firmly held beliefs of the day. Theo-
ries that contradict received wisdom have often been
ridiculed before gaining general acceptance, their
authors subjected to lampooning by the populace and
the eminent. Examples would include: beliefs about
the need to exclude women from activities that were
believed to be the province of men, activities ranging
from voting and medical training to riding bicycles;
beliefs about the position of the earth in relation to
the universe; and beliefs about the relationship (or
lack thereof) between hygiene and infection. Tliese
are but three examples of what we now take to be
false beliefs. While it may be comforting to note that
these examples are from a past that we take to be gen-
erally less open-minded than the present it would be
arrogant indeed to believe that we are immune from
such closed-minded thinking for it is a distinct pos-
sibility that some of today’s firmly held beliefs will be
similarly derided in a not very far away future, and
this despite our dependence on rational science.
If it is true that I am unable to imagine what sort
of evidence might convince me that I am wrong in my
firmly held beliefs then I am in danger of not being
able to recognize the evidence should it be presented,
just as those who believed the earth to be at the
centre of the universe were unable to recognize evi-
dence to the contrary. Even so, I trust that my open-
mindedness will help me to avoid dismissing evidence
to which I should attend.
Thus for me to be open-minded in this sense I am
able to be committed to a view but open to the pos-
sibility that I may be wrong; that is open to revising
my firmly held view on the basis of evidence and/or
argument. It should not be forgotten that Hare’s
definition includes the forming as well as the revising
of opinion. Thus it includes what might be described
as having an open-mind (1-3 above) and being open-
minded (4 above). It is important that I am not only
minded to revise my firmly held beliefs but also that
I will not form beliefs without the benefit of the
appropriate sorts of evidence and/or argument.
There is, of course, a requirement for me to know
what sorts of things are to count as appropriate evi-
dence and/or argument, and there is an interesting
discussion to be had on this matter, but such a dis-
cussion is not within the scope of this paper.
Hare (1985) points out that being open-minded
should not be confused with being uncommitted to
anything at all. While it is true that there are many
things about which I must remain open-minded
because of 1-3 above there is also a need for me to
be able to distinguish between those things about
which I should remain open-minded and those things
about which I should hold a firm view. Tltis requires
practical wisdom.
Part of this capacity is prudential; for to hold no
firm beliefs would be to risk unsuccessful navigation
of the world in which we live. Simple everyday tasks
would become fraught with difficulties: stepping into
an elevator would require a leap of faith and writing
this paper would be pointless. I only ride the elevator
because I hold a firm belief in the materials and tech-
nology that constitute the device and experience
shows me that I can use an elevator to travel between
the different floors of a building. I only write this
paper because of a firmly held belief that a journal
called Nursing Philosophy exists and that the editors
may be interested in publishing the finished work.
There is nothing in the fact that I hold these firm
beliefs that prevents me from remaining open-
minded about them. In fact, I am confident that I shall
not need to revise these two firmly held beliefs but I
am still open to the possibility that I may be wrong.
Practical wisdom may help me to determine those
things about which I should hold firm beliefs, while
still being open-minded (sense 4 above), if I am to
flourish in the world: and it will also help me to
recognize those things about which I should remain
open-minded in the sense of 1-3 above.
© Blackweil Publishing Ltd 2003 Nursing Philosophy, 4, pp. 17-24
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