America was founded on ideas. All of us hold a great deal of beliefs: Beliefs about how the world works, about which government policies make sense, about what is right and wrong, about what makes people tick.

Which of your beliefs have you ever changed? How long have you believed the set that's currently swirling about in your head?

The challenge is this: If your ideas haven't changed in years, ask yourself: Why? Is it because you're right about everything? Or because you haven't been exposed to new data or arguments? Or because you're suffering from confirmation bias, and ignoring everything that doesn't fit your current worldview?

It's extraordinarily unlikely that any of us is right about everything, particularly when you consider that so many of the things we believe are inherited from how we were raised (which is to say, at least semi-randomly). Odds are it's one or both of the other options, which is scary, but solvable.