How Facts Backfire - a highly suggested read

[Bagalute]

Whether you are a republican or a democrat, conservative or liberal, constitutionalist, tea-party, socialist, communist, religious zealot, atheist, pro- or anti-gun rights, abortion, Obama, Bush, gay rights etc. (to cover most of HP issues and oversimplifying a bit by reducing it to labels)...I highly suggest this read:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/?page=full#

What’s going on? How can we have things so wrong, and be so sure that we’re right? Part of the answer lies in the way our brains are wired. Generally, people tend to seek consistency. There is a substantial body of psychological research showing that people tend to interpret information with an eye toward reinforcing their preexisting views. If we believe something about the world, we are more likely to passively accept as truth any information that confirms our beliefs, and actively dismiss information that doesn’t. This is known as “motivated reasoning.” Whether or not the consistent information is accurate, we might accept it as fact, as confirmation of our beliefs. This makes us more confident in said beliefs, and even less likely to entertain facts that contradict them.

 

[diggers1917]

 

[Mack27]

 

[Bagalute]

 

[Dromond]

 

[EtobicokeFA]

 

[Mack27]

 

[DELIMAN092262]

 

[EtobicokeFA]

 

[mercy]

 

[DELIMAN092262]

 

[EtobicokeFA]

 

[DELIMAN092262]

 

[EtobicokeFA]

 

[DELIMAN092262]

 

[EtobicokeFA]

 

[DELIMAN092262]

 

[Bagalute]

 

[joswitch]