In my experience, the important thing to realize is the unconscious psychological and social factors that lead us to adopting a belief system. We like to portray ourselves (contrasted with others) as passionlessly evaluating the sum total of the evidence following it unquestioningly, but I don't find that a particularly compelling or accurate description.
So I think in terms of a weak sort of fallibilism, where yes, I do think what I think, but I also note that I'm just some guy who is just as open to cognitive bias and social influences as anyone else. I think that is a very helpful way to mitigate notions that I am smarter or more honest or braver than anyone who just couldn't arrive at the same conclusions as me.
Thank you, Comrade. It's very easy to forget we're just as subject to those unconscious social factors around us as everyone else, and you can never be sure that you're approaching something unaffected.
In my experience, the important thing to realize is the unconscious psychological and social factors that lead us to adopting a belief system. We like to portray ourselves (contrasted with others) as passionlessly evaluating the sum total of the evidence following it unquestioningly, but I don't find that a particularly compelling or accurate description.
So I think in terms of a weak sort of fallibilism, where yes, I do think what I think, but I also note that I'm just some guy who is just as open to cognitive bias and social influences as anyone else. I think that is a very helpful way to mitigate notions that I am smarter or more honest or braver than anyone who just couldn't arrive at the same conclusions as me.
Thank you, Comrade. It's very easy to forget we're just as subject to those unconscious social factors around us as everyone else, and you can never be sure that you're approaching something unaffected.