I don’t understand how you are supposed to know that someone is not very well informed about the source of their beliefs, that their reasoning is not what they claim it is.
I can see why someone would rationalize a wrong conclusion they have reached, but symmetrically, I would be be rather upset (and rightly so) if someone accused me of rationalizing when I believe I’m not, because (from experience I know that) I am acutely aware of my own beliefs, and most of the time better than others.
Surely, some people are not as reliable as me. But I don’t think it would be prideful to judge that the lambda person is a priori less aware of their own beliefs than I am. Therefore I should think that in lack of evidence, people are as good as me at being unbiased.
Specifically, my main issue is that statement :
Someone who buys a million-dollar laptop was really thinking, “Ooh, shiny,” and that was the one true causal history of their decision to buy a laptop.
How can I reliably know that someone’s reasoning is biased ?
From your post, it is suggested (I have not read all the articles here, and I will be glad if someone can link to one that solves the problem) that you can decide that the laptop buyer is biased because his conclusion (buying the shiny laptop) is wrong. Although it sounds like a handy method, it is not helpful when the core of the issue stems from a debate over whether or not the conclusion is correct.
Even if, assured by a very reasonable reasoning, you know that you are right, and we know that you are right because you can explain it, I am not sure it would be enough to convince the laptop-buyer to change his mind. (I do think it is important to change the laptop buyer’s mind, even though it’s a different topic.)
So, this post is very useful if I am a potential laptop-buyer ; it could be useful if I meet a laptop-buyer, but I don’t know how (except of course if he’s a laptop-buyer who easily changes his mind).
How can I reliably know that someone’s reasoning is biased ?
Everyone is biased; I think it’s sort of a law. Understanding what someones biases are is probably more productive when dealing with them, then trying to figure out if they are biased or not; 10 out of 10 times I’d go with a definite ‘yes’ they are biased. How biased and in what ways seem like good follow ups.
(I do think it is important to change the laptop buyer’s mind, even though it’s a different topic.)
If the real question is “How do you reason with an unreasonable person?”, I’m not convinced contemporary society has a decent handle on this on.
I don’t understand how you are supposed to know that someone is not very well informed about the source of their beliefs, that their reasoning is not what they claim it is.
I can see why someone would rationalize a wrong conclusion they have reached, but symmetrically, I would be be rather upset (and rightly so) if someone accused me of rationalizing when I believe I’m not, because (from experience I know that) I am acutely aware of my own beliefs, and most of the time better than others.
Surely, some people are not as reliable as me. But I don’t think it would be prideful to judge that the lambda person is a priori less aware of their own beliefs than I am.
Therefore I should think that in lack of evidence, people are as good as me at being unbiased.
Specifically, my main issue is that statement :
How can I reliably know that someone’s reasoning is biased ?
From your post, it is suggested (I have not read all the articles here, and I will be glad if someone can link to one that solves the problem) that you can decide that the laptop buyer is biased because his conclusion (buying the shiny laptop) is wrong.
Although it sounds like a handy method, it is not helpful when the core of the issue stems from a debate over whether or not the conclusion is correct.
Even if, assured by a very reasonable reasoning, you know that you are right, and we know that you are right because you can explain it, I am not sure it would be enough to convince the laptop-buyer to change his mind.
(I do think it is important to change the laptop buyer’s mind, even though it’s a different topic.)
So, this post is very useful if I am a potential laptop-buyer ; it could be useful if I meet a laptop-buyer, but I don’t know how (except of course if he’s a laptop-buyer who easily changes his mind).
Everyone is biased; I think it’s sort of a law. Understanding what someones biases are is probably more productive when dealing with them, then trying to figure out if they are biased or not; 10 out of 10 times I’d go with a definite ‘yes’ they are biased. How biased and in what ways seem like good follow ups.
If the real question is “How do you reason with an unreasonable person?”, I’m not convinced contemporary society has a decent handle on this on.