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Good thinking 99.

Let's see if I have the basic construct right. Behind our individual understanding of knowledge is a narrative building function which is used organise information in a largely pre-determined way. The only real way to change a person's mind is to change the narrative building process rather than the information being absorbed.

I guess the interesting questions (for me anyway) become: what sits behind the narrative building function at an individual and group level; are there systemic ways of influencing narrative building processes; once set, can narratives be changed and, if so, how.

In a society with a diversity of narratives, a question also arises about how you create tolerance. If 'facts' work only to reinforce, no ultimate truth emerges. This leaves differing narratives which compete for supremacy. Ultimately, this competition can only be resolved by one defeating the other or space being created for both to live side by side.

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Lots of good questions. To partly answer one, the main way narratives (your term) change is when there is a persistent mismatch between what the narrative says should happen and what does actually happen.

And obviously, tolerance requires epistemic humility!

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