The Habit of Thinking Again
A mindset and practice for intellectual flexibility, involving treating opinions as hypotheses, basing identity on values rather than fixed beliefs, and actively seeking disconfirming evidence to combat confirmation bias.
THE IDEA
A. Develop the Habit of Thinking Again
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Think like a scientist. When you start forming an opinion, resist the temptation to preach, prosecute, or politick. Treat your emerging view as a hunch or a hypothesis and test it with data. Like the entrepreneurs who learned to approach their business strategies as experiments, you’ll maintain the agility to pivot.
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Define your identity in terms of values, not opinions. It’s easier to avoid getting stuck to your past beliefs if you don’t become attached to them as part of your present self-concept. See yourself as someone who values curiosity, learning, mental flexibility, and searching for knowledge. As you form opinions, keep a list of factors that would change your mind.
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Seek out information that goes against your views. You can fight confirmation bias, burst filter bubbles, and escape echo chambers by actively engaging with ideas that challenge your assumptions. An easy place to start is to follow people who make you think—even if you usually disagree with what they think.
When to use it
When making a strategic business decision, frame it as an experiment with clear success metrics and a plan to pivot if needed.
When discussing a controversial topic, consciously adopt a scientist's curiosity rather than a preacher's certainty.
When curating your newsfeed or social media, intentionally include sources that represent opposing viewpoints.
When forming a new opinion, write down a list of conditions that would cause you to revise it.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Startup Strategy as Experiment
An entrepreneur developing a new product treats their initial business model as a hypothesis. Instead of pitching it as the only way, they run small experiments (e.g., A/B testing features, customer interviews) to gather data. If results contradict their assumptions, they pivot rather than double down.
Challenging Political Beliefs
A person who identifies as valuing curiosity and learning, rather than as a 'liberal' or 'conservative', actively reads opinion pieces from the other side. They make a list of evidence or arguments that would cause them to update their stance, fostering genuine rethinking.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What deeply held belief would you be willing to change if presented with strong counterevidence? List the specific factors that would shift your mind.
Think of a recent opinion you formed. Did you treat it as a hypothesis to test or as a conclusion to defend? How could you have approached it more scientifically?
Identify one person you follow (or could follow) who regularly challenges your assumptions. How do you react when reading their views?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Think Again The Power of Knowing What You Dont Know (Adam Grant)