The Problem With Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is a tendency to look for evidence that confirms our belief. There's nothing inherently wrong in this. If we spend years studying something, we're naturally reluctant to toss it away based on some fringe evidence against it. The logical response to new evidence is to seek to incorporate it into our theory.

I have all sorts of theories that I find logical. They range from physics to the social sciences and economy. I've come to like these theories, and it would be folly to actively seek to destroy them. That's not to say that I've avoided evidence that may contradict my positions. I've considered a long range of theories before coming to my conclusions. That's part of the reason I'd rather look for ways to incorporate new evidence into my world view than change my views completely.

As far as my theories are concerned, my job is not to undermine them, but to defend them. Confirmation bias is in this sense part of my function. It's up to others to present objections, and it's my job to incorporate these as best I can into my world view. I see nothing wrong in this. I freely admit that I have as much confirmation bias as everybody else. It's not a problem.

Confirmation bias is only problematic when people start believing they're immune to it. A sure sign that we're confronted by idiots is that they will insist that everybody but themselves and their preferred theories are biased. But no student of anything is ever free of bias. That's why we have debates. Opinions are presented and debated. Rarely are anyone convinced one way or the other. The debate is not meant to put an end to debates, but to provide inspiration for all sides to improve their theories.

Dogma is in this respect poison. Dogma is opinion masquerading as facts. Dogma pretends to be free of bias. Dogma is where idiots hide out, always pointing their fingers at others for being in an echo chamber full of biased opinions, and ignoring the fact that they themselves are inside the most bullet proof of all echo chambers, namely dogma, the most biased of all modes of thinking.

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By Albrecht Dürer - Collection privee, Public Domain, Link