Hello. I've learnt that being 'open-mined' is easier said than done. It definitely requires a discipline to seek both sides of an argument. Without a conscious effort to explore different ideas and opinions, everybody is most comfortable in their own bubble. I've come across many who told me that they never watch or read anything sourced by left media or vice versa. That is a typical frame of mind/mindset, isn't it? Be interested and critical but don't just dismiss it, I would say, but they can't seem to help it because of their deeply ingrained attitudes towards their opposition. Basically, they've just made up their minds. No room for options, etc. Like everybody else is saying here, although it is very difficult, one may be able to reset their mindset if there is an occasion where they are made aware of their mindset and they are capable of examining it objectively.

@Naomi Yeah, I've tried to change my mindset, but the furthest I've gotten is more or less mimicking a different mindset, not actually changing my own mind.

I find it easy to be open minded, it's just not possible to fully understand or believe other peoples points of view. I dislike being stuck in the "I don't understand" place, so I tend to dig a lot if it's something I feel is important or interesting. I suppose that could be a part of my mindset as well.

Reading through some of these comments makes me wonder if it is possible to change ones mindset.

@saramarylop3z Yeah, I think I'm pretty open-minded, but if there is something I don't understand (borrowing your example, some people believe that violence is a necessary evil for justice), maybe that's because deep down, my mindset is rejecting to understand the mentality of those who rationalise violence, and I'm not necessarily aware of that mindset of mine, or that mindset is so firmly established in my head that it is impossible to reset it... I will carry on pondering.

Hello. You assume that one recognises their mindset and therefore they can change it if they wish. I'm not sure if that is always the case.

@Naomi Of corse not. Most of the time people lie and deny to themselves and others if they can but they cannot change until they accept what it is everyone else knows, they have to want to change.

Hello. "It begins with a recognition of one's own presuppositions..." It sounds like that one needs to be made aware of their mindset by others first in order to assess it. That is a little different from self-assessing their mindset.

@Naomi Well, I don't think that anyone ever seeks to question his/her worldview without reacting to some external force, whether it be a particularly significant experience or an interaction with particular people or ideas that they encounter. None of us lives in a vacuum.

@KeithThroop
Yeah, it is true that we can't form opinions based on nothing. Frame of mind is a good synonym of mindset, I think. Your frame of mind is your collection of thoughts and beliefs based on your experience and it shapes your thinking process. And your thinking process, or thinking habits, affects how you reach conclusions in your head, and how you act accordingly. Your frame of mind impacts how you make sense of the world, and how you make sense of yourself. When it comes to resetting your mindset, because mindset is a set of assumptions and beliefs that has been established so firmly and so ingrained, it is very difficult to reset it, like you say. For example, once I came across a man who had ingrained attitudes towards women; he couldn't seem to help it.

@Naomi I think you are essentially correct here:

Your frame of mind is your collection of thoughts and beliefs based on your experience and it shapes your thinking process.

I would add, however, that a number of foundational presuppositions that we have really don't come from experience, at least not as we usually think of it. That is, I don't think we reason to them but rather that we reason from them and simply assume them without even realizing that we are doing it. For example, we all assume the existence of other minds. We all assume that we can perceive what other minds are thinking, at least to some extent -- an extent which makes living together at all possible -- via communication with others. We all assume that language is an adequate vehicle for such communication, despite our difficulties with it at times. We all also assume the basic laws of logic, even if we at times violate them. These are just a few things that we all seem to have hardwired into us. Or so it seems to me.

At any rate, when any of us set off on a journey of self-evaluation, in which we seek to challenge our previously held beliefs and hold them up to scrutiny, we don't typically begin by questioning such basic assumptions. Rather we typically start from them. So, there are some presuppositions that are properly basic, as I think a philosopher like Alvin Plantinga would put it, and others which are not and which people feel more free to question.

Just some of my own thinking out loud. You've asked a thoughtful question and offered some thoughtful suggestions.

@KeithThroop I'll carry on pondering. Lol

@Naomi (and @KeithThroop) remember, I'm post-op transsexual. One thing about that is that I had a strong and deep disconnect between what was going on in my head and body and what and how I was being perceived and dealt with by society (and family/friends/community). I had to try and reconcile the vast differences - and deal with my own perceptions from an early age and PERSISTENTLY for years.

I resolved my issues by understanding my perception of ME was correct and the ENTIRE world was wrong. (OH doesn't THAT make me sound psycho!) But, fundamentally, the entire world could not see into me objectively, it could only perceive me from external clues.

It calls into question are ability to understand 'self'.

@tracycoyle
You fought one heck of an inner battle and won.

Hello. "ANY part of your personality can be changed" I'm not sure if personality is a synonym of mindset. To me, mindset is a firm belief, rather than a personality which is inborn, that affects one's thinking process and behaviour, like an ingrained attitude towards something or someone. A belief is not necessarily logical and rational; it is often subjective, in which case it is difficult to be objective. I'm thinking aloud... Lol

@Naomi I would suggest that 'mindset' is a consequence of root personality characteristics....

@tracycoyle I think I know what you mean.