Are you Heterodox?

Heterodox Academy was founded in 2015 by Jonathan Haidt, Chris Martin, and Nicholas Rosenkranz, in reaction to their observations about the negative impact a lack of ideological diversity has had on the quality of research within their disciplines.

Do you believe that this lack of ideological diversity exists in academia and in the wider world in general? Is orthodoxy ever a good thing?

Do you consider yourself heterodox?

Heterodoxy is a willingness to go against your tribe, whether your tribe is liberal or conservative. If you consider yourself to be heterodox, can you give any personal examples? Thanks.

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ViciDraco · 36-40, M

I suppose it comes down to what we consider as being orthodoxy vs heterodoxy.

For example: Biologists are generally more atheistic and generally accept the basis of evolution while debating around the specifics to push understanding forward.

You could say they have their own orthodoxy in that regard. But I don't think that's bad. It's reached that state for a fairly good reason, given evidence at hand in their field. While it is good to have a small number of non-orthodox participants challenging the orthodoxy, a majority heterodoxy would imply that bad science is leading to inconsistencies in hypothesis and testing.

In other areas that are less certain, heterodoxy allows for more ideas that can be tested more quickly. New fields of study should have high heterodoxy and hopefully trend to more orthodoxy as it matures.

At the end of the day you don't want purity in either though. Pure heterodoxy makes progress difficult because collaboration is challenging. Pure orthodoxy leads to stagnation and inflexibility in society, reducing our ability to adapt to change.

Striking the balance is difficult.

irishmolly72 · 56-60, F

@ViciDraco Has the internet been a hindrance to finding that balance, for instance by promoting tribalism?

ViciDraco · 36-40, M

@irishmolly72 I don't think the internet has promoted tribalism as much as people like to give it credit. I think it has put a spotlight on tribalism by breaking typical local boundaries. Individual communities used to have high tribalism among themselves. The internet has taken geography out of tribal formations. So now people see more tribes in their local areas.

irishmolly72 · 56-60, F

@ViciDraco I see. Interesting observation.