About the Author
Bryan Frances is the world’s only intellectual wisdom coach. He’s a former professor of philosophy & logic, doing research & teaching at universities in the US, UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He teaches you how to become the wisest thinker in the room—which is different from being the most knowledgeable or having the highest IQ. Contact for a free session.
I’m going to talk about a mistake that most of us make when it comes to our views about religion, politics, morality, and social issues. First off: I used to make this mistake. My friends did, and do, too. People I admire do. So, don’t feel bad if you recognize the mistake in your own thinking, whether it’s only in your past or in your present as well. You already knew you weren’t flawless, right? No big deal: flaws are found in all of us. The good news is that it’s not that hard to avoid the mistake. It’s also delicious to do so, in a way I’ll get to at the end.
Before I get to important real-life examples, here’s the basic form of the thinking, conscious or unconscious, that I want to examine:
I was on side X, at least to some extent. But now I see major faults with side X. Holy shit, these faults are really bad. In truth, they are positively shameful. Ugh. I absolutely hate being associated with those Xers who have this really bad fault. How can they be so stupid or irrational or foolish? Jesus. And it’s not like these people or actions or attitudes exist only on the fringe. There is a lot of bad actors here. I’m no longer an Xer. I simply can’t associate with them anymore.
Please notice the emphases there. It’s not merely something like “I now see that some people on my side are wrong about some important issues”. That’s way too mild. Instead, the idea is that you look at your own side with a horrified expression. “Jesus fucking Christ, lots of these people are just plain idiots/cruel/clueless”. It’s downright embarrassing to be associated with them, right?
Now I’ll list some examples. I will try to be even-handed, thereby simultaneously complimenting and insulting absolutely everyone.
You start out religious but then find the fundamentalist dipshits on your side. Ugh. You become an atheist.
You start out atheist but then find the intolerant, bullying, grossly simplifying, and insulting atheists on your side. Ugh. You become a theist.
You start out left-wing but then find the intolerant, bullying, grossly simplifying, and insulting woke progressives on your side. Ugh. You become right-wing.
You start out right-wing but then find the achingly stupid MAGA people on your side. Ugh. You become left-wing.
You start out strongly supportive of the BLM group but then find the morons on your side. Ugh. You no longer count yourself a BLM supporter.
You start out strongly supportive of capitalism but then find the greedy scumbags on your side. Ugh. You become anti-capitalist.
You start out strongly anti-capitalist but then find the economically clueless people on your side. Ugh. You become a strong advocate of capitalism.
You start out strongly supportive of the LGBTQ community but then find the insulting and close-minded people on your side. Ugh. You withdraw your support and advocate policies they oppose.
You start out strongly supportive of the pro-business arm of the right-wing but then find the greedy assholes on your side. Ugh. You become a Bernie Sanders supporter.
You start out strongly supportive of environmentalism but then find the foolish “world is gonna end” people on your side. Ugh. You become an advocate of fossil fuels.
You start out a New York Yankees fan but then find the arrogant, insulting, crude fans on your side. Ugh. You become a Boston Red Sox fan.
The last one is a joke but the others are dead serious. Call the people who go through this change of heart reluctant rebels.