THE CONFIRMATION BIAS IS AT EPIDEMIC LEVELS!

 The confirmation bias is at epidemic levels

How many times have we listened to politicians make such ridiculous comments even the village idiot wouldn’t believe? 

At first thought, we are convinced those believers are somewhere beyond stupid. Although some simply understand they are listening to lies and go along with them, many truly believe the lie or conspirator theory du jour. The reality is those who believe those crazy things are not stupid.  They are very intelligent people. However, they are victims of a disease sweeping the country. They are victims of the confirmation bias

 

According to Science Daily “Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis or ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm that hypothesis”. This is understandable to a degree, but when this President is said to have lied or deceived over 20,000 times and when his echo chamber tops that number, one would think that more people would catch on. But yet the deception continues while we continue to shake our heads in disbelief.

Why does this “bias” have so much power? This bias is not only strengthened by the comfort it gives but by those who surround the believer. When a lie comes down, no matter how ridiculous, as long as it is supported by their favorite cable news network, by the select friends they talk too combined with their effort to ignore a variety of news sources, they will continue to believe.

This lends the question, where does this begin and how can it be changed?  Looking back in history, the conning of the American people by politicians has gone on for decades if not centuries. What are the solutions? One belief holds that if we didn’t expect politicians to be perfectly aligned to our thoughts, they wouldn’t have to lie. No politician can ever be in agreement with all citizens and no citizen should expect perfection. All citizens should be encouraged to rise above the confirmation bias and embrace critical thinking, choosing the issues that are closest to them while developing a willingness to compromise on others.

The problem, however, goes much deeper. In school, children are taught to respond to a standardized test and give the answers the test wants. Even worse, students must respond to the textbook and the chapter test simply regurgitating the answers they were given. As schools shift more to the “teach to the test” mentality, they move away from those projects that encourage children to think, analyze and come up with their own answers and then debate them with others.

According to Dr. Angela Dye:  “when achievement is restricted to grades, (test scores) attendance, and behavioral compliance, the robust nature of learning is inadvertently restricted… traditional school outcomes as level B achievement can occur in the absence of learning how to work and learn independently; (A level learning includes) learning how to synthesize, transfer and apply knowledge to the world beyond the classroom; learning how to value self as subjects and not as objects; and learning how to engage in and share power in democratic spaces.”

A shift in the fundamental system and philosophy of education would not only have a strong effect on the students but could easily trickle up to adults.  When they talk politics at home, the child could easily pass on what they are doing in school. Maybe it is time for the children to teach the adults. Children, when at home, show your family you can think beyond the confirmation bias.  Show them what it looks like.

The point is DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING! QUESTION EVERYTHING! 

Remember, everyone has a confirmation bias.  I work hard to rise above mine.  You must work hard to rise above yours.  If not now, when?  Isn't this the perfect time to rise above the confirmation bias?  Who would believe that a "scientist", Judy Mikovits, discovered a deadly virus transmitted through vaccines and was thrown in jail for 5 years without charges because she talked about it?  If you do your homework, she did not discover any deadly virus and spent a short time in prison for stealing equipment from the company that fired her.  Don't believe anything!  

Would anyone believe that the corona virus will go away like a "miracle" in April? Oooops, it's May already. 

Would anyone believe that  The Trump White House “inherited” a “broken,” “bad,” and “obsolete” test for the coronavirus? The virus was not in humans during the previous administration.  A test couldn't be developed.

Would anyone believe that "Anyone who needs a test will get a test?  Nope.

That Trump and White House personnel  have been vaccinated and therefore don't need masks?  When the entire world can't get a vaccine?  Just another lie.

And on and on.  People believing this junk keep the lies alive and thus are dangerous to the country. ¨Don’t just teach your children to read…teach them to question what they read.  Teach them to question everything¨ - George Carlin

Go to www.wholechildreform.com for my book STOP POLITICALLY DRIVEN EDUCATION to see how we have been diminishing thinking in schools and how we can change the system so students can THINK WHILE IT IS STILL LEGAL!