We live in a time where we can access information at the snap of a finger, but how often do we pause to ask ourselves if what we believe to be true is the truth? From frequent claims that misinformation is on the rise to the increasingly blurred line between questioning authority and being labelled as ‘anti’ something, we find ourselves in a very challenging position. It’s become easy to fall into a pattern where rejecting authority, though quite often a reasonable act, morphs into the total dismissal of expertise – resulting in inferences that become inherently biased, often basing themselves on pre-judgements of the situation, or from missing pieces of the puzzle. What I mean by this is the people who conclude their opinions on certain topics before allowing themselves to fully understand what’s at hand.

It is a natural part of humanity. We want to believe in the niceties of people. We hope that the information being told is true, because if not, similarly to searching for ‘goodness’, it means we must start to question everything. I, for one, have committed this intellectual crime many times. It is something I hope to improve at, but it is also something I can’t always control. Our minds are quick to grab onto the easiest stereotypes from the local news stories, or global agendas, because not only does it keep us within our chosen community, but it means that we can step on our intellectual pedestal and look down on the people who know less than us. But this is something we must stop.

This is why Jordan Peterson’s 9^th rule for life (“assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t”) resonates with me so vividly. I have experienced situations where people talk down to me as if they know more about a certain topic when they are simply hiding their equal naivety through a thick, “sophisticated” lens. But, as with most anecdotal evidence, the same can be said for the reverse. I can also clearly remember times when I’ve over-estimated my own intelligence and have been metaphorically beaten with an unbreakable rebuttal.

However, the opposite is also true, and perhaps even more common. As mentioned before, we often reduce our thinking to align with the status quo, bypassing any sense of individual reasoning. Whether this is out of fear of isolation or sheer complacency, we often choose to side with our perceived majority, assuming that consensus equals correctness. But in doing so, we give up our intellectual autonomy, surrendering the ability to think critically. This is a trap I believe many people fall into, whether they know it or not.

Personally labelled as the “baseless ideologue”, these people encapsulate the beliefs and opinions of their community but do not bring any justification as to why they are right. Rather than curating their own capacity for judgment, the baseless ideologue grabs onto the first bit of information that suits their narrative and runs with it, ignoring any statistical provisions, and making sure any contradictions are shot down with a swift dogmatic, crude assumption about their adversary’s viewpoint.

What’s worse is that this mindset is not only accepted in our society but is actively encouraged through the readily available echo chambers that are deeply embedded within our ‘educational’ institutions. These can often be seen promoting a singular worldview under the disguise of intellectual diversity – a tactic designed to create the illusion of academic rigour, when in reality, it manufactures mindless robots curated to obey every non-adhesive talking point thrown their way. This is seen from secondary school up to post-graduate degrees, where a singular ideology is consistently promoted, while the demotion of ideas that gravitate from the state of normalcy is seen as appropriate. People who try to think laterally are ousted from the wider community, shunned, and labelled as radicals, even if the utmost justification is provided. Such exclusion will always discourage open dialogue and suppress intellectual creativity out of fear of isolation, all of which have led to the array of issues we now call ‘normal’.

This is furthered by the orchestrated deception from our media with their obsession of classifying ‘politically incorrect’ opinions as harmful, or dangerous, fostering an ideological fortress, one of which has not been seen in modern times. As such, any person who dares to claim that this institution spouts falsifiable claims or anchors down on their political leanings, is called ‘anti-science’ or a ‘cynic’.

It seems that today, any views that counter the ones of our biggest news broadcasters are dismissed as ‘conspiracy theories’ and must belong to those with a simple mind. Such a notion, that anyone who goes against the status quo must be a tin foil hat wearing flat earther is completely uncritical, but it is one that has invaded our dialogue cloud, thundering down pre-conceived expectations onto such dissenters.

But what can we do? Our educational systems destroy free thinking, our social media companies purposefully hide adverse opinions, and our legacy media portray sceptics as unruly, dogmatic fools. As a result, we have created a society that breeds the baseless ideologue, spawning them out of universities like assembly-line products, pre-programmed to parrot the same facile narratives, without any tolerance for validity testing.

Therefore, each individual needs to understand that there is nothing more important than curating your own opinion – making sure you have one that you can justify under any circumstance. Without such knowledge, you become baseless, wafting through our dialogue cloud like a virus ready to shut down any who disagree.

So, make sure you learn – constantly. Provide yourself with ample evidence to defend your positions from attack but do so without forcing complicit biases. Be ready to realise that there is always someone who knows more than you about a topic. Keep an open mind because you never know who that may be, and lastly, don’t start a conversation you aren’t willing to finish. Entering a dialogue with your opinion but pulling down the blinds when you receive a rebuttal is not just a waste of time, but a waste of your intellect. If you firmly believe that you are right, then no counterargument could ever dismiss what profound view you just laid on the table. So put your knowledge to the test. What is there to be afraid of?

Don’t be a baseless ideologue. These people provide nothing to our conversational culture.