Confirmation bias as observed in brain scans

by SweetBabyCheezits 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  Knowsnothing

  Who is impervious to self-deception? -SweetBabyCheezits

  No one. Which is why removing bias cannot be an absolute, only an approximation. Example, I might have reservations about eating rats because of my cultural upbringing. There is nothing inherently wrong about eating rats. Some Asian groups do it and have it commonplace.

  Also, what is good judgment? Again, that depends to a degree on our own biases, some of which we have strong emotions attached to that really have no bearing on reality, only in our minds.

  I also agree with James' above statement. Critical thinking can be used by psychopaths for them to achieve their means. Interestingly, it is scientifically proven that those born without empathy are generally uncurable. Scary thought.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy
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  james_woods

  Where would we be w/o people like you?

  Nirvana.

  James, the brain exhibit a high degree of functional localization, so it is possible to partly infer activity based on BOLD activation pattern.

  I agree - but my point was that it is stretching the matter to attribute actual interpretation of THOUGHT to it.
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  bohm

  I agere, i would be carefull about accepting the conclusion as it is presented in the writeup.
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  2tone

  I have always said I can pick either side of an argument and can make myself believe in either side, then I can make a better defense for it and offense lol
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  james_woods

  I have always said I can pick either side of an argument and can make myself believe in either side, then I can make a better defense for it and offense lol

  For example - the literal global flood only 4500 years ago?
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  2tone

  oh james. I know which side of that argument ill pick for sure. lol
• 

  SweetBabyCheezits

  SBC: Would the world not be a better place if everyone practiced critical thinking?

  James Woods: Maybe, maybe not. The statement would seem to me to equate critical thinking to morality.

  Are you just arguing for the sake of arguing? Maybe I should elaborate on what I mean by critical thinking since those least familiar with the subject seem most confused and tend to oversimplify it.

  http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528

  Take those aspects of critical thinking alone... are you really not confident the world would be a better place if everyone put it to practice?

  James Woods: It does not always work that way - I am sure that many of the greatest evil dictators the world has known must have been adept in immoral but effective critical thinking.

  Again, if you relegate the meaning of critical thinking to a line in the dictionary, that might be true. The version of critical thinking I'm referring to is not just cold analysis of data. It's a deep subject rooted in ethics.
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  SweetBabyCheezits

  SBC: Who is impervious to self-deception?

  KN: No one. Which is why removing bias cannot be an absolute, only an approximation.

  ...which is why critical thinking is suggested as a means to suppress bias.

  KN:Example, I might have reservations about eating rats because of my cultural upbringing. There is nothing inherently wrong about eating rats. Some Asian groups do it and have it commonplace.

  And if you mistook your cultural bias for absolute truth, you might instead say that eating rats is wrong. Thankfully, you exercised critical thinking to some degree and had an open mind.

  KN:Also, what is good judgment? Again, that depends to a degree on our own biases, some of which we have strong emotions attached to that really have no bearing on reality, only in our minds.

  That is part of my definition of "good judgment" - judgment that isn't corrupted by our own biases because we recognize them and take steps to suppress before drawing conclusions. Suppose you are charged with a crime you didn't commit. Would you rather be judged by a jury made up of those who have strong critical thinking skills or those who go with their gut instincts?

  KN:I also agree with James' above statement. Critical thinking can be used by psychopaths for them to achieve their means.

  So we're going to diminish the value of CT because some PARTS of it can be used by psychopaths to achieve their means?
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  Knowsnothing

  Would you rather be judged by a jury made up of those who have strong critical thinking skills or those who go with their gut instincts? -SweetBabyCheezits

  Critical thinking alone in a trial can put an innocent person in jail, based on the only available evidence, which may be faulty.

  So we're going to diminish the value of CT because some PARTS of it can be used by psychopaths to achieve their means? -SweetBabyCheezits

  No, but perhaps a new label would be appropriate. Ethical Critical Thinking.
• 

  scotoma

  has anyone pointed out that brain scans such as MRI can tell observers where the brain is more or less active, but they CANNOT tell what the brain is thinking...? James Woods

  The point of this research is that political and religious opinions are rooted in emotion:

  “We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning,”

  There is a big difference between liberals and conservatives when it comes to weighing evidence. Conservatives consistently score low on the psychological trait of openness. Liberals are generally more prone to allow evidence to change their opinions. Not all liberals are necessarily "open". In fact the majority of liberals are probably not much different from conservatives when it comes to openness. It is understandable that conservatives are less likely to compromise - they aren't open.

  Look up the trait of "openness" on wikipedia.

  " People who are highly open to experience tend to be politically liberal and tolerant of diversity. [ 9 ] [ 10 ] As a consequence, they are generally more open to different cultures and lifestyles. They are lower inethnocentrism and right-wing authoritarianism. [ 11 ]"