Happy Atheist Forum

General => Philosophy => Topic started by: Arturo on April 08, 2017, 04:51:21 AM

Title: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Arturo on April 08, 2017, 04:51:21 AM
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

That list has the names and descriptions of cognitive biases. It was referred by Neil Degrasse Tyson in a video he did with Joe Rogan. And giving him the benefit of the doubt, my question is, can we comfortably do away with those biases? Trying to just not do things is an ineffective method to stop an old pattern and start a new. Is there a way to see things with out bias of any kind? Or at least try to minimize it?
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Dave on April 08, 2017, 09:04:09 AM
I very much doubt that we can "do away with" all these things and remain human.
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Icarus on April 09, 2017, 10:49:17 PM
We are creatures of conditioned responses. I doubt that we are capable of fully disposing of out biases.  We may believe ourselves to be free of pre-concieved notions but if so, we are probably bullshitting our own selves.
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: xSilverPhinx on April 10, 2017, 12:13:26 AM
Quote from: Icarus on April 09, 2017, 10:49:17 PM
We are creatures of conditioned responses. I doubt that we are capable of fully disposing of out biases.  We may believe ourselves to be free of pre-concieved notions but if so, we are probably bullshitting our own selves.

Blind Spot Bias. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_blind_spot)

:smilenod:
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Davin on April 10, 2017, 05:21:54 PM
To correct ones own bias, one has to be interested in doing so. You can't make other people interested in things. It's more short term work than not caring about it, and a lot of people can't be bothered to consider long term effects, because it's more work. And for a lot of things, they don't do much direct harm that is easy to demonstrate until it's too late to use long term strategies to correct them.

If only people would have been taught as kids to not eat the marshmallow immediately.
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Icarus on April 11, 2017, 12:20:47 AM
Most of us here can congratulate ourselves for even acknowledging that cognitive biases exist inside our own skulls.  That is, sadly, more than we can say for the majority of our less aware and stubborly self aggrandizing populace.
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Velma on April 13, 2017, 06:47:13 PM
The best we can do, I think, is to acknowledge that we have such biases and try to correct for them. Like Icarus said, just recognizing they exist is quite an accomplishment. You cannot correct for something you refuse to admit to.
Title: Re: Can We Reverse Cognitive Biases?
Post by: Dave on April 13, 2017, 07:03:42 PM
In a lunchtime conversation at the place where I volunteer the several retired men there all concluded that the older one getss the harder it is to give up years old convictions.

You can learn something new, even as an old dog, but just try ignoring those old mental habits! Nuh, uh! I still cannot wear blue and green together without feeling guilty because, as a kid, my bossy sister told be it was wrong to do so. But, I have seen others wear these colours and it looks OK.