Ask HN: What is the biggest thing you've changed your mind about?

Technology, Internet & “Progress”

• Several commenters now doubt that technological “progress” is a net good, especially the internet and social media.
• Internet seen as a powerful information-sharing tool but also compared to tobacco/lead in its social harms, attention economy, and politics-driven abuse of science.
• Some emphasize that progress is non-linear: it creates new harms (e.g., asbestos) that must be later corrected by further progress.
• Others note disillusionment with software’s social impact and the capture of digital information by paywalls vs. the resilience and accessibility of physical libraries.
• Smartphone gaming is seen as having devolved into “mobile casinos” dominated by ads and monetization, not creativity or learning.

Politics & Ideology Shifts

• Many report drifting across the spectrum without changing core values, attributing this to Overton window shifts and party realignments.
• Some moved rightward with age; others moved left (e.g., from libertarian or conservative to socialist).
• Debate over whether “the left” has embraced “radical” positions or is merely returning to traditional stances; cancel culture and self-censorship are cited.
• Specific issues include equity vs. equality of opportunity, censorship, war, reproductive rights, and U.S. party dynamics.

Crime, Punishment & Drugs

• Strong rethinking of punitive justice: emphasis on rehabilitation, questioning retribution, and anticipation of ethical issues once behavior becomes biologically modifiable.
• Some argue punishment is socially inevitable; others warn that vengeance disguised as “justice” is morally suspect.
• Views on drugs shift from “drug dealers are evil” to libertarian self-ownership and full decriminalization; others see drug use as illness requiring treatment, not prison.

Sex Work, Class & Inclusion

• Major reevaluation of sex work: framed less as moral aberration and more as low-status labor akin to fast food in risks, pay, and stigma.
• Critique of policies that conflate consensual sex work with trafficking and rely on “ending demand.”
• Strong criticism of certain feminist and DEI practices seen as speaking over affected groups and misdiagnosing class problems as primarily identity-based.

Religion, Metaphysics & Psychology

• Shifts both toward and away from religion/spirituality: some abandon belief in non-physical realms; others leave militant atheism and now value religion’s community and morals.
• Dispute over whether “laws of physics” imply non-physical realities or are just human descriptions.
• Harsh skepticism toward psychology/psychiatry as government-aligned tools for maintaining consumer society, contrasted with neurophysiology.

Death, Responsibility & Human Nature

• Many describe moving from fear of death to acceptance, often after personal loss or health scares.
• Personal responsibility views diverge: from “extreme ownership” (everything is one’s fault) to recognition that structural forces can destroy lives despite good choices.
• Growing appreciation of human cognitive differences and emotional needs leads some to use more tailored, emotionally aware communication.
• Others report shifts toward greater empathy, recognizing that everyone is fighting unseen personal battles.

Geopolitics & Nations

• Opinions of Israel and Russia shift negatively due to recent conflicts, perceived aggression, apartheid/ethnic-cleansing rhetoric, and disregard for human rights.
• Defensive alliances around Russia are seen as more rational after revisiting its history of invasions.