Mental convergence and divergence

If you provide a factual and neutral perspective on an issue, people who are mentally strong will converge around the truth. Also, a mentally strong and independent society will diverge when it comes to beliefs and opinions. Because these two statements might seem contradictory, perhaps I should explain.

In short, this comes down to objectivity versus subjectivity. The stronger the facts are, the more likely people are to embrace them. Since there's always a way for something to be wrong, there will typically be some resistance, but overall support should typically reflect the strength of the evidence. More importantly, this does not require an intentionally skewed narrative or explicit instruction on what to think.

To complicate things, convergence does not require mental strength. If you are weak at thinking for yourself, where do your views come from? Under those circumstances, a common influence is likely to lead to convergence. A common influence does not have to be right, so this can lead to convergence around inaccurate information. I should also mention that regardless of whether a topic is objective or subjective, the mentally weak are likely to converge based on whoever is in a position to influence them.

Beliefs and opinions are more subjective. They can be influenced by objective material, but there is no single correct set of beliefs or opinions. Without a truth to work towards, individualistic characteristics should lead to mental divergence. In a society that embraces independent thought, beliefs and opinions would diverge drastically. Because of this, mental diversity could be viewed as a measure of a society's mental strength.

Objectivity and subjectivity aren't nearly as black and white as some people portray. The vast majority of thought reflects some degree of both objectivity and subjectivity. The objective components should lead to convergence while subjective components should lead to divergence.

Unfortunately, live in an overly conformist and overly convergent society. Authoritarian figures tell us what to think. Most people embrace what they are told to think. Some people resist and assume what they are told is false. This can be seen in our two-party political system. The Democrats control the schools and the media. Republicans essentially believe the opposite of whatever the Democrats try to shove down their throats. To further complicate things, there's actually a lot of overlap between the two parties. An argument can certainly be made that Republicans are becoming more authoritarian.

The United States does not have nearly enough mental diversity. The majority appears to embrace whatever narrative the Democrats provide. The second largest group conforms to opposing beliefs. Even most so-called independent voters conform to a preferred party rather than think for themselves. As a result, people who form their own thoughts make up a very small minority of the American population.

We are living in the most heavily schooled era in the history of humanity. If you want to know if schools teach students how to think or what to think, just look at our lack of mental diversity. An overwhelming majority of Americans can't seem to think for themselves. This matches very well with my personal experiences in the system. I never had a teacher who was tolerant of independent thought.