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How Not to Be Wrong

The Art of Changing Your Mind

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How Not to Be Wrong

By: James O'Brien
Narrated by: James O'Brien
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

There's no point having a mind if you never change it.

In his best-selling How to Be Right, James provided an invigorating guide to how to talk to people with bad opinions. And yet the question he always gets asked is: 'if you're so sure about everything, haven't you ever changed your mind?'

In an age of us vs them, tribal loyalties and bitter divisions, the ability to change our minds may be the most important power we have. In this intimate, personal new book, James' focus shifts from talking to other people to how you talk to yourself about what you really think. Ranging across a dazzling array of big topics, cultural questions and political hot potatoes, James reveals where he has changed his mind, explains what convinced him and shows why all of us need to kick the tyres of our opinions, check our assumptions and make sure we really think what we think we do.

Coloured with stories of changing minds from the incredible guests on his podcasts and callers to his radio show, and spanning big ideas like press regulation and Brexit through to playful subjects like football and dog-ownership, How Not to Be Wrong is packed with revelations, outrage, conversations and lots of humour.

Because in a world that seems more divided than ever, if you can't change your own mind you'll never really be able to change anyone else's.

©2020 James O'Brien (P)2020 Penguin Audio Politics & Government Social Sciences Thought-Provoking Sports

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All stars
Most relevant  
I enjoyed this book as well as the previous.
its quite a beautiful, and brave thing to dissect and address the way you think and the reasonings behind your beliefs, admit your mistakes and grow. seems like a rare talent these days.

A very honest and I think important book.

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A must-read for those who aspire to a happy, healthy life. Simple, honest, clear and powerful words that will, I hope, bring transformative insights to those who listen to it with an open mind. A book I am recommending to everyone I know!

Transformative

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I expected this book to be a continuation of How to be Right, but it was very different. Instead of 'look how ridiculous these opinions are', it was very much 'look at how ridiculous I was'. From realising he needed help, to the far reaching impact of acknowledging the effect of childhood trauma, James O'Brien shows rare humility. Want to be more open minded? OR more importantly, do you consider yourself to be quite open minded enough, thank you very much? This is the book for you.

Honest and moving

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I love Mr O'Brien,

I listen to his show everyday and mostly align with his ideas. This book is a short but in depth insight into how O'Brien deals with the emotive aspect of his radio show. It modestly (shocking, I know) describes how past errors can be dealt with in a positive way to encourage personal growth of character and a greater understanding of the world around us.

I'm not going to write a long review here, so I shall pick just one example of his critical process. O'Brien took a call from a woman during the BLM protests after the disgusting killing of George Floyd. The woman presented an entirely respectable argument for the media's culpability for failing to challenge the unconscious bias of representation of minorities throughout the media spectrum.

This was a call that I was listening to live and was dismayed to hear O'Brien dismiss her opinion in an entirely ignorant and arrogant manner. At the time I was working but was ready to down tools and call the show to let James know how much this conversation dented my opinion of him, and how ridiculous it was to host a talk show on attitudes towards racism and in fact shut down the conversation in an overt display of unconscious racism himself.

However, it was not long, maybe ten minutes before James acknowledged this grievous flaw in his reasoning and in fact rang the caller back. He duly apologized and gave the caller the time to explain her argument which in short manner James came to understand and indeed support.

In the book James dissects this exchange with full criticism of his actions and personal shortcomings and comes to a rather simple but profound conclusion. He writes with great humility about the challenge he had to wage with his own perceptions and the result being a broader view of the world from another person's point of view.

O'Brien uses this example to describe how instead of blinding ourselves to our faults, we should challenge them and accept the solutions when they are offered. He offers the philosophy of using critical thinking to deconstruct personal thoughts and suggest answers to faulty questions. To be aware of our opinions and what they mean, instead of just having them. More importantly he asks the reader to explore a form of fluid outlook with a keen interest in changing opinions, and to do so in a positive way knowing that the result will be a happier and kinder understand of the world and it's interactions.

I thank James for writing this book. I thank Mr O'Brien because this book lays down in plain English a solution to our greatest challenge in life. In reading this book I gained a firm grasp of the ideology that I have been trying to cement during my own personal path to becoming a better, happier, more rounding person.

I am on a journey similar to James's to find balance and comfort from my life, which like James, has had a whole host of unfair challenges. Like James I have also developed a whole host of serious mental deficiencies and problems which I have chosen to repair.

Thank you Mr O'Brien for writing a book that gives me comfort in believing that I am on the right path.

Very emotionally challenging

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[Cathartic, Brutal honesty, introspective ,Painful,sarcastic, Ill-informed,misunderstood,Sad Refreshing ,divisive,Numb, Healing, divorce, bittersweet, busy,biased, unhelpful,ungrateful, estranged,goodbye,good luck,opportunistic. ]I'm sorry you felt that way and I'm glad you got the help you needed as you seem like a very giving and forgiving person. You had very inadequate people in your life. Interesting story.

Like eating greens

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How refreshing it is to hear someone argue strongly for the pursuit of knowledge while *also* inveighing against cheap oratorio tricks...the ones so often used to stir the pot, or shout down those presenting reasonable objections to outlandish or perverse propositions. If free speech survives this decade (against a slew of hatred and various credible dangers to life, limb, and public order), I rather hope this is what it will look like.

Engaging and thought-provoking

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No matter where you are politically, there is plenty to learn about yourself here.
Before I thought James was right about a lot of things, but I thought that there were areas where I'd imagine prevailing a duel with him. But through self awareness, analysis and correction he has made that an even more of a tricky affair (Dammit).
The only thing I think is missing is a more an epilogue (but then again, what do I know? )

Cant wait for the next one.

Educational. Reading.

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Just listen and digest this book to learn how to be a better human. Thank you James

Life changing book

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If you’re someone who’s even remotely interested in being reflexive about the nagging conscience that one’s views may not be the be all and end all, then this is the book for you.

Even though I don’t necessarily agree with all his views, what this book gives is a potential roadmap to the reader about how they may go about being self-reflexive and accepting that they may (and will) sometimes be wrong

Raw and reflexive

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An essential read for everyone - as you’ll hear yourself as part of the system that O’Brien cleverly unpicks and shares the lessons that need to be learnt.

In summary, we are a horrible bunch of people and should and can do better.

Jobsworthy

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