Got Dunked On

Postering

There was a moment when my friend and I were discussing the oil industry, and I realised how easily we can hold strong beliefs without really knowing where they come from. I had this firm conviction that oil can completely run out in specific places, that there are regions in the world that have been drilled dry and are now empty.

I argued that we would eventually reach this point in the near future, where oil would be fully depleted because of this. My friend did not mock me or try to embarrass me or anything like that. No! He simply said he was not sure that such places exist and asked me to point to examples. He added that, based on his understanding, this has not really happened and is unlikely to happen in the way I described. But he also made it clear that if I could provide evidence, he would be willing to change his view.

Confident that I was right, I went to look it up. And what I found was…well, I was wrong. There were no clear examples of places that had been completely “drilled dry” in the way I have imagined. In cases where drilling stopped, it was not because the oil was gone, but because extracting it had become too difficult or too expensive.

That moment made something very clear.

It is completely normal to hold beliefs that are not rigorously researched or backed by scientific literature. That is just how we operate. Most of what we believe comes from our environment, our upbringing, culture, religion, or the social circles we move in. Forming views this way is not a failure, it is human.

The problem is that properly researching and verifying every belief is exhausting and often unrealistic. It takes time, effort, and in many cases, specialised knowledge that not everyone has access to. So we take shortcuts. We accept what feels right or what aligns with what we already believe, instead of constantly trying to disprove these beliefs. That is not surprising, it is practical.

But there is a responsibility that comes with that.

As you grow and your world expands, you have to learn to recognise when you are in an echo chamber. It is uncomfortable, but necessary. Surrounding yourself only with people and ideas that reinforce what you already believe feels good, but it quietly locks you in a place where you start mistaking repetition for truth.

So even if you are not doing deep research all the time, you should at least expose yourself to opposing views. You need to notice when something is simply confirming your beliefs versus when it is challenging them. That challenge is the signal. That is the moment that you should push to look deeper.

If you have believed something your whole life and suddenly encounter a credible opposing idea, your instinct will be to defend your position. That is natural. But the existence of a counterargument is not just a threat, it is an opportunity. It is a prompt to investigate both sides more carefully.

If a belief has never been challenged, you cannot be blamed for not questioning it. There is nothing triggering that process. But once it is challenged, ignoring that moment is a choice.

It is important to stay aware that you do not have all the information. Everyone carries incomplete or even incorrect beliefs. The goal is not to eliminate that; it is to remain open enough to update your thinking when new information appears.

What does not help is the way people argue today. Mocking, shaming, and “dunking” on others for being wrong and this does not change minds. It does the opposite. It makes people defensive and more attached to their original position.

If the goal is just to win an argument, then fine, humiliation works. But if the goal is to actually change minds or move closer to the truth, that approach fails. Real progress comes from engaging with why someone believes what they believe and offering alternative perspectives, not trying to embarrass them out of their position.

And it is worth remembering that you are not immune to the same problem. Some of your own beliefs are probably wrong. When they are challenged, you will feel that same instinct to defend them.

The point is not to always be right. It is to stay open, recognise when you are being reinforced versus challenged, and treat disagreement as a chance to learn rather than a fight to win.