I eventually figured out that she couldn't conceive of the possibility that I could understand what she was thinking and not agree with her. She thought it, therefore it must necessarily be true.
I've observed this behavior before, but I was never able to think of it in such clear terms, to get to the root of it as you have here. This small-minded, self-assured thinking typically scares me. Whenever I encounter someone who cannot imagine that they may be even partially wrong, I start to judge that person as dangerous (whether or not that's the right thing to do, it's certainly what happens).
People who aren't able to question their own perceptions, who aren't able to be skeptical of themselves, are the ones who can rationalize and justify the most horrible, "means-to-an-end" actions. And when I see that behavior, alarm bells go off.
I've observed this behavior before, but I was never able to think of it in such clear terms, to get to the root of it as you have here. This small-minded, self-assured thinking typically scares me. Whenever I encounter someone who cannot imagine that they may be even partially wrong, I start to judge that person as dangerous (whether or not that's the right thing to do, it's certainly what happens).
People who aren't able to question their own perceptions, who aren't able to be skeptical of themselves, are the ones who can rationalize and justify the most horrible, "means-to-an-end" actions. And when I see that behavior, alarm bells go off.