Information Overload

In my whole life, I think that I've only had two original thoughts:

1. On Cigars:
     -The more you spend on a cigar, the better it tastes.
     -No matter how much you spend on a cigar, if you aren't smoking it, it stinks.

I like that one.  It makes me happy for some odd reason.

2. On Bias:
     -Bias is most dangerous when it goes unrecognized.

Of the two, this is my favorite.  Although I've told it to folks through the years, it doesn't seem to be catching on, so, as for having a quotable legacy, I'm probably doomed.

 

Prison of the Mind

Why is bias important?  Why is recognizing it even more so?

That's what I'd like to talk about this morning.

If you're of a certain age (young), you most likely don't realize how much information you are exposed to when compared to a bygone day.  And that day wasn't all that long ago.

Nowadays, you can get information on just about any subject with just a few touches and/or swipes on the computer in your pocket.  It's truly amazing.

Of course, there's a downside: not all of the information you receive is accurate.  Much of it is biased.

Not only is the information biased, but so are we.

Our human penchant for bias is the point of this post.

I'll admit that I have a bias.  I do that because I want to be truthful with you.  More importantly, I want to be truthful with myself.  If I deny my own bias, I sentence myself to intellectual prison.

You may think that I overstate the case, but I do not.

Agreeing with Myself

Here's the truth: There are things that I like to read and there are things that I don't like to see, hear, or read. 

Interestingly, the dividing point between these two is a simple one:

I like to read things with which I agree.

It feels good.

I don't like to hear, see, or read things with which I disagree.

That feels baaaaaaaad.

If you say that you aren't like this, then you may have an undiagnosed bias problem.

This is a critical issue because unrecognized bias stunts our ability to grow in almost every way imaginable. 

For instance, if you ask me today if I think I'm right about a certain topic, I'm liable to say that I am.  That's pretty natural for most of us.

So far, so good.

But, if you asked me the same question about the same topic thirty years ago, I'd likely give the same answer even though I may have changed my mind on the issue.  How is this possible?

Evolution of Thought

If I am to evolve, I must be willing to change. 

If I'm willing to change, I must entertain the possibility that I'm wrong.

Most of us want to improve, but most of us don't want to think about the possibility that we're wrong.

Yet that is the requirement for improvement.  We must constantly evaluate and repair the problems that we find.

One of the ways to do that is to listen to opposing views, and that is no fun at all. 

The World in My Pocket

One of the byproducts of our access to information is that every conceivable perspective on every topic is immediately available to us.

And most of those perspectives are wrong.  How could it be otherwise?  If there are a gazillion points of view about each specific topic, most of those views are going to be wrong.  It's just math.

What that means in practical terms is that we must be savvy consumers of information.  We must employ a certain degree of skepticism and an enormous degree of critical thinking as we consume.

Failure of the American Mind

Unfortunately, as a culture, we seem to lack some fundamental skills when it comes to evaluating all of this information.

Just remember, not everything you read is true.  Some writers have an agenda.  **GASP**

Yep, it's true.

Nowadays they call it "shaping a narrative."  When I was a kid and I tried to shape a narrative, I usually got a spanking for what my mom called "lying."

She's clearly from a bygone era.

Give it Some Thought

So, as you browse the net or watch the news, think about what is being said and who is saying it.

Are the facts accurate?

Does the stated opinion logically follow from the facts?

Do you discern an agenda?

Ask yourself,  "Have I been wrong about this topic?"

You may conclude that you've been right and this exercise will tend to strengthen your position. 

On the other hand, you may see your beliefs begin to change about a particular topic as your arguments fail to withstand scrutiny.

Both of these outcomes are valuable.

TheCurmudgeon