One of the hallmarks of a critical thinker is the disposition to change one’s mind when given a good reason to change. Good thinkers want to change their thinking when they discover better thinking. In other words, they can be moved by reason.

Yet, comparatively few people are reasonable in the full sense of the word. Few are willing to change their minds once set. Few are willing to suspend their beliefs to hear the views of those with whom they disagree. This is true because the human mind is not naturally reasonable. Reasonability, if it is to develop in the mind to any significant degree, must be actively fostered in the mind by the mind. Although we routinely make inferences or come to conclusions, we don’t necessarily do so reasonably. Yet we typically see our conclusions as reasonable. We then want to stick to our conclusions without regard for their justification or plausibility. In short, the mind typically decides whether to accept or reject a viewpoint or argument based on whether it already believes it.

To put it another way, the mind is not naturally malleable. Rather, the mind is, by nature, rigid. It often shuts out good reasons readily available to it. It often refuses to hear arguments that are perfectly reasonable (when those reasons contradict what it already believes).

To become more reasonable, you need to open your mind to the possibility, at any given moment, that you might be wrong and another person may be right. You need to be willing and able to change your mind when the situation or evidence requires it. You need to recognize that you don’t lose anything by admitting that you are wrong. Rather, you gain.