The History and Psychology of Critical Open Mindedness ― Question Everything

Ever wondered how to be open-minded without losing your critical edge? In this fascinating and subversive analysis, psychologist John Lambie explains how to see the other person's point of view while remaining critical – in other words how to be "critically open-minded".

In a wide ranging and entertaining account that covers a diverse array of topics – including the psychology of rationality, the novels of Jane Austen, the critical attitude of Galileo, the politics of the Levellers, and the parables of Jesus – Lambie explores both the history and psychology of critical open-mindedness, and explains how to cultivate it. Along the way he finds open and closed mindedness in many surprising and unexpected places.

Combining history and psychology, Lambie examines the social and psychological underpinnings of critical open-mindedness and explores its implications for scientific and moral progress.

John Lambie is currently Reader in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His primary research focus is on the awareness of emotion.