Resolunacy (n.): Fear of 'flip-flopping"

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I one had a boss who would take a position on a policy issue early on and was unwilling to reconsider it no matter what new information came to light. Her initial position usually made sense based on what was known at the time but seemed indefensible in light of the new information. Well, I've decided to coin a term for this: Resolunacy.

I'm no psychologist but I think it's reasonable to conclude that there is a neurosis involved when a person is confronted with clear evidence that their prior beliefs were incorrect and insists on sticking to their position. Fear of being labelled a "flip-flopper" seems to trump their willingness to face the facts.

I fear that we have become so used to "spin" that we no longer trust our own senses and reasoning. This brings us to Gallileo. I suspect when he saw the crescent Venus in his telescope, the logic of a earth centric universe immediately seemed dubious. But rather than try to create some elaborate conspiracy theory as to why this evidence didn't support the conventional wisdom, he faced the facts. Venus (and Earth) revolve around the sun. He'd be branded a "flip-flopper" nowadays.

There seems to be an epidemic of resolunacy here in the States. People deny things like global warming and evolution without even giving the actual data underpining those conepts a second thought. This is a dangerous trend in my humble opinion. I realize to the average citizen "facts" and "spin" are not always easily distinguishable. They aren't. But this is a larger problem. Resolunacy often seems to be portrayed as a positive value of firm convictions. To quote Stephen Colbert's description of President Bush:

The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will.

In my opinion, an unwillingness to ever reconsider ones position should be recognized for the moral vacuity that it implies. We all make mistakes. People who can't reconsider their stance in the face of new information should be called "resolunatics." People who can reconsider thier stance should NOT be called "flip-floppers".