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Confirmation bias
1. Confirmation bias
A confirmation bias is a bias of accepting only facts that agree with what you have already decided is true and ignoring other facts.
That is, one accepts only new information that confirms what one already believes or has heard, etc. You can ignore facts that you do not know about (ignorance of the law) or ignore things in order to deceive others (and yourself).
A confirmation bias can be encouraged by the use of "
cherry picking" information to view or accept.
2. McCarthy: Teamwork
A
bias is a belief that one particular viewpoint is right and that the opposing viewpoint is wrong.
...most people's superficial notion of "teamwork" is that it is equivalent to some namby-pamby consensus and bogus good cheer. The only consensus worth having is a creative one achieved in the combat of fully engaged intellects. Such a consensus is born of sleepless nights, fear of rejection, and trials of personal courage. Conflict, which usually presages growth, is the hallmark of such consensus. McCarthy, J. (1995).
Dynamics of Software Development. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press., p. 44.
Sometimes this idea of ignoring conflict is called a "
mutual admiration society".
The "
peer-review" system used in many academic areas falls prey to the idea of a "
mutual admiration society". Any really new or useful idea tends not be seen by those in such a group.
The term "
group think" can apply to such groups.
3. Believing lies
People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to. Malcolm Muggeridge (British broadcaster)
4. Divergence
There is often a divergence between reality and facts on the one side and opinion and belief on the other.
5. Opinions and facts
Opinions and facts are often very different.
6. Opinions and facts
Opinions may go one way and facts another way.
7. Bias
Note that the previous statements might be, in fact, based on opinion and not in touch with reality.
8. Preaching to the choir
The phrase "
preaching to the choir" means to tell a group who is present something that really only applies to those who are not present and, therefore, do not need to hear what is being said.
Telling those in attendance that attendance is important is "
preaching to the choir" since those not present are those who really need to hear that message.
Telling a group what that group already believes, due to confirmation bias, etc., is "
preaching to the choir".
9. Oracle of Delphi
Confirmation bias is present in the prophecy of the
Oracle of Delphi in response to the Greek
Croesus, King of Lydia, rich from the gold at Sardus (mentioned in the book of Revelation in the Bible as one of the seven churches of ancient times).
Croesus, King of Lydia, wanted to know if he should go to war against Persia under Cyrus the Great (conqueror of Babylon, the morning after Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall). The Oracle of Delphi told Croesus that "
if he went to war, a great empire would be destroyed". Like many humans, Croesus heard what he wanted to hear. He went to war, and
his great empire was destroyed (as well as himself).
Herodotus.
The ancient Greek word
" Κροῖσος" ≈ "Croesus".
10. Confirmation bias
The misheard lyric, or mondegreen, is a form of confirmation bias in that people tend to hear things they have heard before.
11. Mondegreens: misheard lyrics
A mondegreen is pun consisting of a misheard lyric or verse that sounds like something other than what was written.
The term was coined by Sylvia Wright in 1954 who as a child had heard the poem line "
laid him on the green" as "
Lady Mondegreen".
Here are some hymn titles or lines that are mondegreens.
Gladly, the cross-eye bear
Come on oh kinky turtle
Andy walks with me
12. End of page
