kelly k k's Key Ideas from Think Again
by Adam Grant

Asking a firefighter to surrender their firefighting tools in a wildfire goes against their habits, their training, and most importantly - a part of their identity.

Ironically, it is the exact same set of tools that weigh them down in a wildfire. The added weight slows their way down towards safety and the lack of flexibility in the mind is the deal-breaker to surviving the fire.

We are quick to ask for second opinions when given advice but always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

People tend to adopt one of the three characters upon conflict of beliefs.

When our beliefs are being challenged, we become the Missionary who protects and advocates our stances.

When we see a fault in others' arguments, we turn into the Prosecutor who tears down opposing opinions by proving they are wrong.

When we are in need of mass support, we turn into a Politician who lobbies and runs campaigns to garner support without considering other values.

When adopting the character of a scientist, we let questions lead our investigations rather than beginning the journey with the answer. We let go of our intuition and allow ourselves to be guided by the findings.

A change of mind implies moral weakness of the Missionary, failure of the Prosecutor, and a switch of stance for the Politician.

To the scientist, a change of mind is a switch to clearer logic and a step towards finding the truth.

We do not need to always be open-minded, for there are situations where teaching, prosecuting, and lobbying are more suiting.

However, it may be beneficial to be more open-minded in general.