Dec 25 2011: It seems our wanting to be right is a mechanism that has proven us well in evolution, why else would it exist? Being right creates a sense of satisfaction, is rewarding, boosts our self-esteem. Being wrong yields opposite emotions, frustration, shame, even anger. It's possibly just a matter of dualism and creating structure in our lives. Humans have difficulties to function properly when living in incertainty, we need a system of beliefs to manifest ourselves and give ourselves a sense of (collective) identity. In our pluralst society this mechanism doesn't seem to serve us that well anymore. It's okday to have a view of how things are in the world, but we need to build in the premisse that there is real possibility that we're actualy wrong. This creates space for failure and strengthens our survavibility as a society. Of course, I could be wrong! haha. ;-)
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A comment on Conversation: How would we treat each other if we were not controlled by a need to be right?