Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

In a world that is increasingly polarized, being open to new points of view seems to be a lost art. In his book Think Again, Adam Grant argues that the ability to rethink and unlearn is more important than ever in a rapidly changing world. As I listened to this audiobook, I wanted to buy a copy for everyone in the world. We all need to question norms and analyze why we think the way we do.

Some key posts he makes are great ones to keep in mind:

• Be open to new information. One of the biggest barriers to rethinking is our own confirmation bias. We tend to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, and we ignore or dismiss information that contradicts them. To overcome this, we need to be open to new information, even if it challenges our current views.
• Be willing to admit you’re wrong. It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong–but we are sometimes. We just are. And that’s okay. But it’s essential if we want to learn and grow–which we must. When we make a mistake, we should be humble enough to admit it and learn from it. Mistakes really are learning opportunities.
• Be curious about other perspectives. We all have our own biases, but we can’t see them from the inside. The only way to overcome our biases is to be curious about other perspectives. We can do this by talking to people who have different views than us, reading books and articles from different viewpoints, and watching documentaries and movies that challenge our assumptions.
• Be willing to change your mind. The most important principle of all is to be willing to change your mind. If we’re not willing to change our minds, then we’re not really learning anything. We need to be open to the possibility that we might be wrong, and we need to be willing to change our views in light of new information.

Thinking again is not always easy, but it’s essential if we want to live in a world that is open to new ideas and change. By following these principles, we can develop the skills we need to be more open-minded, curious, and willing to learn.

Go forth, and think again!