Consider Multiple Points of View

Is This You?

This term, are you taking a course where you are learning things that go against what you have been taught? Are you afraid that your parents wouldn’t approve of what the professor says in class? Is this situation stressful for you? Because the professor’s ideas are supported by evidence, try to keep an open mind even if it makes you uncomfortable.

Once you start asking questions, you’ll typically discover a slew of different possible answers competing for your attention. Don’t be too quick to latch onto one and move on. To be a critical thinker, you need to be fair and open-minded, even if you don’t agree with certain ideas at first. Give them all a fair hearing because your goal is to find the truth or the best action, not confirm what you already believe.

You will often recognize the existence of competing points of view on your own, perhaps because they’re held by people you know personally. You might discover them in what you read, watch, or listen to for pleasure. Reading assignments might deliberately expose you to conflicting arguments and theories about a subject, or you might encounter differences of opinion as you do research for a project.

In class discussions your instructors might also present more than one valid point of view. For instance, bilingual education is a hotly debated topic. Your instructor might want you to think about which types of students would or would not benefit from bilingual teaching and provide very specific reasons for your point of view. Instructors themselves often disagree with the experts and will sometimes identify flaws in widely accepted theories. Instructors will also sometimes reinforce your personal views and ask you to elaborate on how your own life experiences help you relate to what you are reading or learning in class.

The more ideas you entertain, the more sophisticated your own thinking will become. Ultimately, you will discover not only that it is OK to change your mind, but that a willingness to do so is the mark of a reasonable, educated person.