I've been thinking about this quote a lot...
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
When you encounter a thought that doesn't ring true (meaning that it doesn't reconcile with what you believe or how you view the world) you have two choices:
1. Dismiss the idea
2. Examine the idea
If you choose to dismiss it, that's ok. In that case, withstand the urge to disparage or form a straw man.
WARNING: Only disparage ideas that you fully understand.
You'll know if you fully understand the idea if you can recall it to someone that holds the view and they agree that it is an accurate representation of their view.
WARNING: Even then, disparaging idea is probably a bad idea.
If you choose to examine the idea, don't adopt the idea (yet) or dismiss your current view. Instead, hold the new idea in your hand and examine it.
A few potential outcomes of this examination:
1. Slight recalibration to your world view
2. Major recalibration to your world view
3. Wholesale dismissal of the new idea
If you are forced into discussing an idea you haven't fully examined, say so. And leave room for being off target in your view.
"Anybody who doesn’t change their mind a lot is dramatically underestimating the complexity of the world we live in.” — Jeff Bezos