‘When the facts change; I change my mind’

Absent you can only say what you say with retrospect. At the time it was seen as an undeniable fact. Facts are undeniable - until proven otherwise - and they frequently are.

A few people have Damascus Road. changes of opinion, but generally I find that changing opinions are like a river, new ideas continually come in through sidestreams and the river changes as it goes down stream. I think very differently on many subjects than I did 10, 20 or 50 years ago, but mostly it has been done by small adjustments rather than Damascene conversions so it is impossible to say that at such and such a date, I changed my mind completely on anything.

NfkDumpling I read something similar a long time ago, but when I mentioned it I was told that I knew nothing about what it was like to be autistic. At the time, that was almost correct, but doing courses on ASD and working with those affected means I now know at least that people with ASD may share some characteristics, but there is no one definitive autistic person.

I agree with M0nica that beliefs adapt rather than suddenly change.

I used to think that people had a right to smoke indoors, for example. I didn’t wake up one day and think they were all inconsiderate and selfish, but I definitely think that the rights of non-smokers to clean air takes precedence now.

As regards feminism, I think that a lot of younger women don’t realise how much the world is stacked against them. It’s not until they are a bit older and on the next stage in their careers, are starting to become invisible or are having to make decisions about how to juggle the needs of children with their own that the penny drops.

Being ridiculously indecisive, I change my mind a lot.

The arrival of the internet into daily life gave so much access to (good and bad) information that facts ,previously hidden , changed many a mind

I agree with Silverlining48 and tippytipsy.

I'm another one who thinks that the saying is badly worded, and 'facts' don't change. In fact, I think it's really dangerous to promulgate this because it promotes distrust in the truth and vulnerability to misinformation and manipulation. QAnon, anyone?

The only thing 'factual' about the examples MOnica gave was that people believed them to be true.

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Isn't that true of all facts?

Life experience has made me change my opinions on a lot of things. I was, like many I suppose, a Tory because my parents were. Reading, life, experience soon changed that, but the current administration would have made my parents change their minds too. You are supposed to get more right wing as you get older, I have gone the opposite way! I am happy to admit this to people, I don't think I was necessarily wrong to vote Tory when I was younger and don't apologise for it, it was based on what I knew. I used to be a bit baffled when people had disastrous relationships, multiple marriages etc., but having seen it happen to a good friend I think I am more understanding and certainly less disapproving ( not sure that is the correct word though), and realise it can happen to the nicest and kindest of people, people who are preyed upon by men who sense their vulnerabilities and take advantage. These maybe aren't facts as such, more awareness I suppose. Hopefully will have made me a better less judgemental person

I always smell a rat when people (specially politicians) talk about facts, as though their interpretation of whatever it is is the only one.

When they've established that they have 'the facts' they can control the direction of the narrative.

I think that anyone who thinks the same at fifty as they did at fifteen has either had a very sheltered life (or possibly a very traumatic one), or suffers from arrested development. Life is about learning - from experience, mistakes and from others.

if i am wrong about something then i say that i am sorry, i sometimes change my mind as more facts come to light, but the one thing i am guilty of is if i meet someone and i do not take to them then i never will, i have been like that since i was young, i would never be nasty or anything, i would still be polite but not want to make friends with them and nothing would make me change my mind.