It seems that the easiest, most typical thing you can do in 2021 is to be entrenched in a polarizing opinion. No one wants to be stereotypical. It seems, however, that we are choosing ideological camps, digging in, and throwing grenades from behind our walls of belief. So, I’ve come to you today with an offering. 

Deploy the Ideological Turing Test.

This is a “test” created by an American economist named Bryan Caplan. I believe it’s both simple and timely because the test ensures that any partisan person understands the arguments of his/her opponents. Here’s how it works:

1. Take the position of the opposing ideology. 
2. Argue for your (new) position in writing or in spoken word to a neutral judge. 
3. If the judge cannot tell that you’re a fake, you pass. 

In the recent, Hold the Standard Summit we reviewed the importance and mechanisms of seeing ourselves. If we can make our perspective more objective, we can hold a looser, more responsible stance in the world. All too often, we can’t see our bias let alone the views of others. I think we both can imagine the upside of a world where we all pass the Ideological Turing Test. 

Happy arguing!