User:CassyScott5555/sandbox

Confirmation Bias Taylor tells us that although we as a species have made amazing cognitive progress, we are susceptible to foibles of the human mind which make us easy targets for purveyors of bullshit. One of these foibles is confirmation bias. Taylor defines bias as “the tendency to notice and seek out things that confirm one’s beliefs, and to ignore, avoid, or undervalue the relevance of things that would disconfirm one’s beliefs.(insert footnote here?)” Confirmation bias explains why already established beliefs are impenetrable. When we believe something to be true, we also believe we have good reason to believe it. We believe our “evidence” is substantial enough to warrant that belief, making our beliefs essentially impervious to change. This causes us to overestimate our epistemic capabilities and reject any evidence that is inconsistent with our beliefs. Confirmation bias describes the phenomenon where we have beliefs, and we think these beliefs are justified or supported by evidence. Because of this, we deny or ignore contrary evidence. Taylor gives us an example of confirmation bias in his essay. If someone were to believe Bush’s rationale for a war against Iraq, they would also think they are reasonable in believing Bush’s rationale. They wouldn’t think themselves unreasonable or susceptible to deceit. Because of this confidence, they will reject any evidence suggesting Bush’s rationale is faulty, and reject any evidence suggesting they are irrational or foolish to accept Bush’s rationale. Any new evidence that others may try to convey to them, will be easily dismissed with little to no consideration. Although this may seem to me that confirmation bias aids in the resistance of forming new beliefs, it can also aid in the spread of bullshit and the formation of bullshit ideals.