...but only when I have found myself...or have been shown...to be supporting a position that I cannot truly support.
On the major topics, though, I am comfortable in the positions I hold and am confident in the logical basis for those positions. That said, I like to challenge myself and my beliefs by engaging in open discussion/debate over a broad range of topics, mainly to test my beliefs and to understand the beliefs/positions of others.
I often find myself taking a devil's advocate position on a subject, seeing if I can make a case for something that I *don't* believe in.
In answer to your political question, a politician *can* change his/her mind on a given subject, but because the name of the game is having distinct, well-formed ideals, opinions, policies, etc., a politician who changes positions is seen as either vaccilating on the topic or, worse, pandering to targeted audiences. In either instance, it leaves doubt in the mind of constituents/voters as to where the politician *really* stands on an issue, whether or not the politician really *knows* what he/she is doing, or if the politician can be trusted to tell the truth about his/her positions.
That's why politicians are held to higher standards on their positions and are scrutinized more closely when they appear to change their minds. |
