Does open mindedness mean openness to evaluate evidence for claims, or accepting claims without any evidence?

Well, words are determined by how they're used so, if enough people get on board with a certain meaning, even though it's the opposite meaning of what the word originally meant, the word picks up a new meaning (plus any that have come before). But, putting aside picky considerations of word definition, I take openmindedness to mean 2 things, which are against each other.

The first meaning, the meaning that I respect, is "research your beliefs and carefully choose what to believe based on the evidence you aquire and the thinking you do. Important: Choose your belief based on your evidence . Do NOT choose your evidence based on your belief.".

The second meaning, the meaning that makes me ashamed to share a political label with people like this, is the liberal meaning of "Whatever liberals believe".

Wondering if global warming is real and going to the IPCC and then Old Farmers Almanac and taking temperature readings from the same sites on the same dates at decade spaced intervals and then comparing them to find out for yourself-------------1st meaning.

Just 'knowing' that 'liberals believe that the Earth is warming and it's all because of cars and industrial smoke stacks and it will cause the poles to melt and then we'll all be living underwater except for Kevin Costner who will grow gills and fight the evil cigarette smoking Ski-Doo riding bad guys'----------------------2nd meaning.

So, I choose it to mean 'openness to evaluate evidence for claims' b/c what I choose is really just what I support.

Openness to evaluate evidence for claims. The second one, like someone else said, is being gullible.

Now here is what I think is worse: Rejecting claims when the evidence is right before your eyes just because what the Bible says.

The former. The latter is blind faith.

People do think open-mindedness is accepting all sorts of things without much in the way of evidence, but it's not, all you need to be open-minded is to look into the beliefs of others and see what you think of them, and see if they mean anything to you.

As the saying goes, if you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out.

LOL! I know for a 101% certain fact that the Ark of the Covenant is buried in my back garden, even though I've not found any sign of it yet. Or maybe it's the Holy Grail - it's actually a bit hard to decide due to there not being any evidence whatsoever, but I'm 102% sure it's one or the other. Or maybe it's an ancient alien spaceship, or a tunnel to the Mines of Moria...

It means both, depending upon who you're asking. For me personally, it's usually the first.

Although the second is kindof true for me also. Not that I blindly accept claims without evidence, it's more like I won't totally dispute a fact without solid evidence against it. In other words, it's more of a "could be true until proven not true" situation.

The first one, but that isn't easy, no one really enjoys having their views attacked, and anything trying to disprove what you believe IS an attack.

The second is gullibility. I'm not that bad, but i am slightly gullible. One way i fight it is when i learn of a new topic that i want to delve into, i'll get several people's studies, books, or views, and get a good overview from several sources. That way, though i will usually believe what they say, i have a wide range to that belief and i can evolve that belief over time spent thinking on the issue.

one should never accept claims without evidence, and yes open mindedness does mean that. what claims are you referring to?

The former.

It cannot mean the latter, as that is rejecting the converse claims despite a lack of evidence.

How do you evaluate the claims? As this video suggests some wish to reject evidence using theological objections. But theological objections doesn't necessarily mean they are scientific objections.http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4109211/refuting_the...

This is why I seldom use the term "open mindedness", its confusing.

However, form-ability to concept has its direction toward benefit, so no, it doesn't Faith doesn't always go on what we "see", but it is not rightfully "blind".