True Rational Consistency

It seems that changing your mind is a great crime. People value consistency more than accuracy. Change your mind and you can no longer be trusted. But the opposite may in fact be true. Changing your mind means that you are open to learning, open to being wrong, and more likely to actually discover the truth.

True rational consistency does not consist in stereotyping our beliefs and views, and in refusing to make any improvements lest we be guilty of change. As if consistency were somehow a virtue. A foolish consistency is a sign of simple-mindedness and close-mindedness and is not the sign of one in pursuit of truth.

True rational consistency means holding our minds open to receive the rays of truth from every source, and it means changing our beliefs as often and as fast as we obtain further information. This way of life alone accords with the claim of being rational.

No one should be afraid to change their beliefs in conformity with increasing knowledge. Such a fear would keep the world, at best, at a perpetual standstill on all subjects of inquiry, including science. Such a fear would mean all improvement would be prevented. The quest for truth would be aborted.