Think, Question, and Change
PRINCIPLE 8 OF 10
Do not accept an idea merely because it is old. Do not reject an idea merely because it is new. Do not reject an idea merely because it is old. Do not accept an idea merely because it is new. Question. Learn. Observe. Listen. Think. Use evidence when evidence is available. Accept uncertainty when certainty is impossible. And if your understanding changes, you are free to change with it. Changing your mind can be part of growth.
The explanation
Do not accept an idea merely because it is old. Do not reject an idea merely because it is new. Do not reject an idea merely because it is old. Do not accept an idea merely because it is new. Question. Learn. Observe. Listen. Think. Use evidence where evidence is available. Recognize uncertainty where uncertainty exists. And if your understanding changes, you are free to change with it. Changing your mind can be part of growth.
In the Master Philosophy
Do not accept an idea merely because it is old. Do not reject an idea merely because it is new. Do not reject an idea merely because it is old. Do not accept an idea merely because it is new. Question. Learn. Observe. Compare evidence. Listen to different perspectives. Recognize uncertainty. And when better information becomes available, allow yourself to change. Changing your mind is not necessarily weakness. Sometimes it is evidence that you have learned something.
How to read it
Practical interpretation
- Age proves nothing; novelty proves nothing.
- Use evidence where evidence exists, accept uncertainty where it does not, and let changing your mind count as growth.
What this does not mean
- It does not mean doubting constantly or treating all views as equally good. It means no idea — including The Way itself — is beyond examination.