We all love a good story.\u00a0 Children are mesmerized by them and adults, whether through books, TV, movies, sports, gossip, tabloids, or the news, to mention a few, constantly seek them out.\u00a0 It is core to our identity, and a vital part of our nature.\u00a0 It is both how we entertain ourselves, and how we make sense of the world. \u00a0 This latter tendency troubles me.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Specifically because we are inclined to value narratives over aggregated data, and we are imbued with a plethora of cognitive biases and errors that all mesh together in a way to leave us vulnerable to believing very silly things.<\/p>\n
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This may be hard to swallow, but all of us, yes even you, are by default, gullible and biased: disinclined to move away from narratives that you unconsciously string together in order to make sense of an incredibly complex world.\u00a0 Understanding this is paramount!<\/p>\n
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I have discussed many of the innate illusions, errors, and biases that we are inclined toward throughout this blog.\u00a0 I have also discussed the genetic and social determinates that play out in our thought processes and beliefs.\u00a0 And throughout all this I have worked diligently to remain objective and evidence based.\u00a0 I do accept that I am inclined toward biases programmed into my brain.\u00a0 This knowledge has forced me to question my beliefs and open my mind to different points of view.\u00a0 I believe that the evidence I have laid down in my writings substantiates my objectivity.\u00a0 But I am also tired, very tired in fact, of making excuses for, and offering platitudes to, others who do not open their minds to this not so obvious reality.<\/p>\n
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I am absolutely convinced that there is no resolution to the core political, economic, religious and social debates that pervade our societies, unless we can accept this reality.\u00a0 Perhaps, the most important thing we can do as a species is come to an understanding of our failings and realize that in a multitude of ways, our brains lie to us.\u00a0 Our brains deceive us in ways that necessitate us to step away from our gut feelings and core beliefs in order to seek out the truth.\u00a0 Only when we understand and accept our shortcomings will we be open to the truth.<\/p>\n
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Because of these flawed tendencies we join together in tribal moral communities lending a blind eye to evidence that casts doubt on our core and sacred beliefs.\u00a0 We cast aspersions of ignorance, immorality or partisanship on those that espouse viewpoints that differ from our own.\u00a0 I cannot emphasize this enough, this is our nature.\u00a0 But, I for one, cannot, and will not, accept this as “just the way it is.”<\/p>\n
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We as a species are better than that.\u00a0 We know how to over come these inclinations.\u00a0 We have the technology to do so.\u00a0 It necessitates that we step back from ideology and look at things objectively.\u00a0 It requires asking questions, taking measurements, and conducting analyses (all of which are not part of our nature).\u00a0 It necessitates the scientific method.\u00a0 It requires open peer review and repeated analyses.\u00a0 It requires objective debate and outright rejection of ideology as a guiding principle.\u00a0 It requires us to take a different path, a path that is not automatic, one that is not always fodder for good narrative.<\/p>\n
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I am no more inclined to believe the narrative of Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi suggesting that “his people love him and would die for him”<\/em> than I am to accept the narrative from Creationists about the denial of evolution or those that deny anthropogenic global warming based on economic interests.\u00a0 Likewise, I am not willing to accept the arguments from the anti-vaccine community or the anti-gay marriage community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My positions are not based on ideology!\u00a0 They are based on evidence: both the credible and substantive evidence that backs my position and the lack of any substantive evidence for the opposing views.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Granted, my positions are in line with what some may define as an ideology or tribal moral community; but there is a critical difference.\u00a0 My positions are based on evidence, not on ideology, not on bronze-age moral teachings, and certainly not on fundamental flaws in thinking.\u00a0 This is a huge and critical difference.\u00a0 Another irrefutable difference is my willingness to abandon my position if the data suggests a more credible one.\u00a0 Enough already! Its time to step back, take a long and deep breath – look at how our flawed neurology works – and stop filling in the gaps with narrative that is devoid of reality.\u00a0 Enough is enough!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We all love a good story.\u00a0 Children are mesmerized by them and adults, whether through books, TV, movies, sports, gossip, tabloids, or the news, to mention a few, constantly seek them out.\u00a0 It is core to our identity, and a vital part of our nature.\u00a0 It is both how we entertain ourselves, and how we … <\/p>\n