Belief Without a Closed Mind

A position can be examined

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At a meeting about a new literary prize, Daria chose to advocate an anonymous first round of judging. Her conviction came from a desire to have the writing considered before the author's reputation, but she did not claim that the method would solve every difficulty. Another member became dogmatic, insisting that the existing process was unquestionably correct because the group had always used it. Daria asked both sides to identify the specific problems their preferred approach was intended to address.

Daria continued to advocate the anonymous round after hearing questions about how the submissions would be prepared. Her conviction did not prevent her from revising a step that would have created unnecessary work for the volunteers. By contrast, a dogmatic refusal to consider any change left the group with little to evaluate beyond repeated declarations. The chair asked each member to give a reason that others could examine, even if they ultimately reached different conclusions about the best procedure.

Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.