Val Dumond

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On Hedgehogs and Foxes
by Val Dumond
©2006

There's a lovely tale* that describes people into two anthropomorphic psychological classifications: hedgehogs and foxes. Rather than look at what people think, this theory looks at how they think.

Hedgehogs are those who glom onto a belief or a system of thinking and stick by it - transforming everything they read or hear into a format they can swallow. Foxes, on the other hand, may have strong beliefs, but they also have open minds and are willing to accept data that doesn't fit, exactly, and seek something behind the new idea they can believe.

So which are you? Probably a bit of both, a mixture of sometimes this and sometimes that. For instance, you can't shake my belief in the goodness of people. Sure there are examples of wickedness and nasty thoughts, but my basic belief is that somewhere under that evil veneer is a good person. At least, someone who was good at one time. On the other hand, I have to consider the fact that those "bad" people need some restructuring (still not sure whether punishment works better than rehabilitation).

Since we're entering a new year, take a look at babies - you as a baby, your child as a baby, your significant other as a baby - brand new, guileless, innocent, yes, pure even! Everyone loves babies because:

1. they can't talk back, and
2. they have no need to dis anyone.

Now, fast forward those babies as they accumulate all manner of manners and mannerisms, quirks, habits, nuances, idiosyncrasies, and beliefs that push them into becoming either a hedgehog or a fox.

The media these days loves hedgehogs - those who believe something or believe in something and, right or wrong, will not waver. You see them on television "news" shows and hear them on talk radio. They are the loud cranked-up voices that shout their notions at top volume. It is clear that to get on one of these shows you need to have a strong position. The more certain you are about your belief, the more likely you can land a spot in the media to foster it.

Read the daily op-ed pages in your newspaper and view the hedgehogs who repeat their messages in the same voice but in varying words - day after day. A suspicion is that most likely you read the headline and decide whether you agree or disagree - no need to read the rest.

Here are some challenges for the new year - whether or not you "resolve" to try them:

1. Read it all - everything under the headline whether or not you think you'll buy it.
2. Listen to the opposition on talk shows.
3. Take some time to consider what is being extolled, what the speaker believes, how the speaker thinks, and how you agree or disagree.
4. Suspend words, such as should, must, certain, truth, right, wrong, and definitely from your vocabulary.
5. Welcome into your vocabulary words that reflect an open mind that is willing to seek some semblance of reliability, and that looks for a middle ground, with the hope that dialogue not only is possible, but desirable. Struggle to find a balance between "preserving our existing worldview and rethinking core assumptions," as suggested by Philip E. Tetlock, a psychologiest who wrote "Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?"

Keep in mind that hedgehogs are prickly and unwelcome in polite gatherings; foxes have reputations for being smart and independent.

May your new year be filled with new ideas, thoughts, creations, and opportunities!

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*Original essay on hedgehogs and foxes was written by Isaiah Berlin.