Challenge your own beliefs and opinions, one tab at a time

TL;DR: I just published my first browser extension, which displays a random popular post from the /r/ChangeMyView subreddit on the New Tab page. Try it now (Firefox, Chrome).

I love the /r/ChangeMyView subreddit. For newcomers, CMV is essentially a forum filled with people stating an opinion they have on a given topic, and asking others to give counter-arguments. Here’s an example thread by /u/filipovskii_off:

CMV: The main purpose of any government is to stay in power.

Here, the original poster is basically asking others to convince him otherwise. One of the answers (by /u/Pinewood74) is quite interesting:

“[Having] power” isn’t synonymous with “attempting to stay in power”. … You can govern, but not actively attempt to stay in power. Let’s say a powerful counter-government party was starting to develop, but you couldn’t do anything about it without violating the bill of rights, so you instead just keep working at things you can do something about like unemployment. That’s an example of governing, but not attempting to stay in power.

Why, isn’t that interesting. Maybe that changed your view, too.

What’s more, the nature of threads in /r/ChangeMyView ranges from deeper subjects (politics, religion, depression) to lighter subjects (ice cream, dinosaurs, even pop-tarts).

Comments on CMV posts are packed with intelligent discussion and respectful debate between users. I’ve learned many things from this subreddit, and have gained a better understanding of our world through the arguments presented in the comments.

To sum it up: /r/ChangeMyView is a great place to see the world through the eyes of other human beings, and it’s a great way to remind oneself that opinions can be changed quite easily once you understand a certain topic a little better.

To get in that growth mindset mode more often, I created a browser extension that simply displays a random popular post from the CMV subreddit so you can get your beliefs challenged on the regular.

A perfect way to foster that growth mindset.

Give it a try (Firefox, Chrome), and share your feedback. Also, the extension is open source.