- Eric Grovum
- Brighton, CO
- United States
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What can we do to confront our own cognitive biases?
Everyone has a world view. We each have our own point of view that has been molded by our experiences, relationships, religious backgrounds, etc.
Sometimes, when we are confronted with an opinion that is in opposition to our world view, we experience cognitive dissonance, the uncomfortable feeling that creates a wall in our mind around the beliefs that we feel define our very selves. Sometimes we are wrong and have a hard time allowing new information to be considered. Sometimes we are right, but we think so for illogical or unsupported reasons.
What techniques work for you when you deal with these cognitive barriers? Or do you believe you are infallible? Socrates said in rough translation, "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."
Is it reasonable to look at things from new perspectives, or should we draw a line in the sand on certain issues?
My goal is to come to a truer understanding of my world, but it is a challenge to overcome mental inertia.
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Mark Kurtz 20+
This sounds like closed mindedness. Something new may be threatening, perhaps? When should a person stand firm on what he believes to be true? Keeping an open mind is always good. Sometimes we are so confident our beliefs are right we become closed to all other possibilities. Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
I'd like to suggest two options for everyone. Imagine an hour glass with sand. All the particles must pass through a constriction. The narrow passage is fixed and there is no room for more sand or possibility for widening the passage. People can become like an hour glass-----on many topics or for many different situations or conditions.
The other option is to become like a radiant emitter-receiver. Imagine a dot on a paper from which you draw many radials. The radials represent relationships and knowledge and also represent incoming and outgoing knowledge. More radials mean more learning and sharing. One becomes a radiant person!!! New perspectives offer new insights and people light up with brilliance! Infinity of this option is possible, just like you can always add more to the left or right of a decimal----man cannot limit adding. Radials in eternity are progress to infinity. New persons are always possible in your life.
Which option is more attractive?
We have choice; showing benefits and troubles while comparing options gives us substance to consider. Hopefully, people would choose to be radiant! It is satisfying inertia!!
Eric Grovum