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Thanks Snerd. I would agree with almost all of what you wrote.

If I could look at one part of your contribution:

"Fear of social alienation over an idea is quite different. This would mean that the person does agree with the new and different idea."

I'm not certain this would apply to all such cases. If one looked to be entertaining something which goes against the common accepted themes of their group they might be even reluctant to consider it; the idea or topic appears taboo to them so they avoid it and aggressively reject it so as not to have any association with the taboo.

Some of the colleagues on the day said they rejected ideas because of some vague sense of whether it was 'weird', or if they thought the person putting forward the idea had a certain negative image. It's like in Nicky's case, when I share a new idea I must sound intelligent (according to some criteria of what that means) before Nicky will entertain my idea - so sounding intelligent forms part of Nicky's acceptance criteria for new ideas. I might question whether this is a valid criteria.

I suppose my criteria is to consider whether an idea is logical on its own terms and the extent to which it has practical application. I couldn't care who shared the idea, how they looked, how they sounded, where they came from etc. I know you don't either, I value your contributions Snerd.

Edited by Jon Southall
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If one looked to be entertaining something which goes against the common accepted themes of their group they might be even reluctant to consider it; ... ...

Yes, this happens, but I don't know how conscious it is or how widespread it is. I guess the useful question is: how to approach people who are only doing so at a sub-conscious level, and would open to exploring the topic if they gave it a sec?

There are definitely some people who are pretty dogmatic. We've seen them occasionally on the forum. They really do not understand the position of "their side" deeply enough, and they become particularly embarrassing when they are on your side. These are generally a small minority. Peikoff's lectures "Understanding Objectivism" addresses the phenomenon.

 

I couldn't care who shared the idea, how they looked, how they sounded, where they came from etc.

Well, to some extent people's earned-reputations should earn them a hearing too, and vice versa. It makes sense for me to pay extra heed to certain friends I trust. Still, I reckon everyone here would agree with the general sentiment that it is the idea that matters, not the person.
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