Keep Your Identity Small →

Paul Graham describes how discussions on some topics break down into useless argument when certain audiences are participating; People are unable to discuss anything objectively when their own identity is tangled up in it:

More generally, you can have a fruitful discussion about a topic only if it doesn’t engage the identities of any of the participants. What makes politics and religion such minefields is that they engage so many people’s identities. But you could in principle have a useful conversation about them with some people.

He sums up: “The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.”

Finally, there’s an interesting footnote that’s worth repeating:

There may be some things it’s a net win to include in your identity. For example, being a scientist. Considering yourself a scientist is equivalent to putting a sign in a cupboard saying “this cupboard must be kept empty.” Yes, strictly speaking, you’re putting something in the cupboard, but not in the ordinary sense.