More often than not, we tend to surround ourselves with people who think like we do. It’s almost an innate human predisposition. Unless we consciously try to avoid doing it, people gravitate towards ideas that support our own. We subconsciously seek validation for our beliefs, ideas, and interpretations of reality. We tend to surround ourselves with others that support our way of thinking and give us positive feedback that we are smart, clear thinking people who reach conclusions that are correct and without logical flaws.
I’m not casting aspersions here, mind you. I’m a human, too. I am also really good at this kind of elaborate self deception. Ironically, this kind of homogeneity is dangerous. We can see this principle reflected in the natural world. Strong ecosystems have many different kinds of organisms that each fill different specialized roles.
All this interconnected specialization is what keeps the ecosystem healthy. For one thing, it is much more difficult for a single predator or threat. When a change in environmental conditions or an aggressive microbe destroys one species in a diverse ecosystem, the role that it filled is taken up by several other species that fill a similar function. (On a side note, you might also be interested in Cary Fowler’s take on the threat that our loss of agricultural biodiversity poses to the world food supply in his TED talk.) Not only does strong biodiversity help an ecosystem resist threats, though, it supports ecological growth and innovation. Nature’s answer to change is to draw from the strength of many.
The same phenomenon holds true in the world of ideas, too. Good ideas come from the interaction of diverse groups that work toward a common goal or on a common problem. Steven Johnson’s work is an interesting examination of how ideas incubate, concepts crystallize, and strokes of brilliance are born in community. The lesson here: Hang out more frequently with interesting people that don’t think like you.
References:
Johnson, S. (2010, July). Where good ideas come from. [Video] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/steven_johnson_where_good_ideas_come_from.html