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The source of confirmation bias is explained as evolutionary mechanism that developed capacity for reasoning not for critical thinking but for purpose of arguin
by veli_joza 10y ago
The source of confirmation bias is explained as evolutionary mechanism that developed capacity for reasoning not for critical thinking but for purpose of arguing and getting others to do our bidding. In that context it would make sense to protect our own opinion from inconvenient things such as facts.
> "This is one of many cases in which the environment changed too quickly for natural selection to catch up."
How can we as a society fix this? If we educated our kids about confirmation bias (and some other cognitive biases) and taught them how to compensate for shortcomings of their minds, would next generation grow up to be more reasonable? If so, shouldn't this be a high priority of educational system?
- TheOtherHobbes 10y agoThis has already happened. I suspect the average medieval peasant didn't have a particularly sophisticated world view, or much understanding of cause and effect at all. But objective reality-based reasoning is a skill that has to be taught, learned, practiced, and promoted. And even then a lot of people won't be particularly good at it. When you add the fact that there are obvious political and financial advantages to lying to the public then it becomes very fragile indeed. I suspect the only practical answer is to reinvent society's reward functions - e.g. by making the intellectual/political/media equivalent of poisoning the well as much of a criminal offence as dumping a dead body inside a school water tank.
- p0nce 10y ago> How can we as a society fix this? Don't mate with irrational people.
- partomniscient 10y agoAdditionally, as a Stanford undergraduate - refuse to participate in any 'studies'.