Thought experiment debrief

Some of you caught yourselves thinking things you didn't think you did, I'm sure. It happens to all of us at one or another. We have lots of little "built-in" assumptions, prejudices and other hinderances to completely objecting thinking. There's nothing wrong with you – in the sense of "out-of-the-ordinary" – for this is perfectly natural behavior. What's important that we are aware that such things can, occasionally, cloud our judgment. The more aware we are that such is happening is, the better chance we stand of being able to work against it.

It is simply not enough to have high ideals in regard to key notions such as equality or freedom. We also need to have a willingness to question our own beliefs, to put ourselves in someone else's shoes to see what kinds of effects our own statements and beliefs may have on others. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, it doesn't always work. Yes, there is a certain amount of risk involved. But, the risk is manageable.

One of the things about living in the modern world is its dynamism and unpredictability. We can suddenly find ourselves in situations that quickly turn out to be precisely 180 degrees around from what we think we they are. It is not enough to simply have a position or an opinion about something, rather, it is important that we consider in which situations that point-of-view is appropriate, or which particular aspects of a situation are driving us to think in a particular way.

In other words, we need to be more involved in our own thinking. We need to be more aware: not just aware of whom we are dealing with, what we think, but also which impacts our way of thinking can – and do – have on others. We need to think about why we believe what we believe and what reasons we have for thinking that way. As our little thought experiment showed: what seems reasonable in one situation is suddenly not so reasonable in another.

I'm not telling you to beware, rather to be aware … aware of your surroundings, aware of others, and, of course, aware of yourself.