Confirmation Bias

I have found one of the most difficult areas to teach young padawans is how to navigate the untruths that our brains may feed us. The fact remains that our brains are predictive machines and not necessarily truth machines. It actively predicts and anticipates future events based on past experiences and current sensory input. This predictive tool was developed in ancestry and has been passed to newer generations as part of the survival gene. What was once crucial for survival and efficient decision-making, can sometimes lead to inaccuracies or illusions in our current realities.

The new danger is using this cognitive bias as a truth in day to day life. In compiling corrupt code in the operating language we use to interact with a non-static environment. The blind spots can hinder objectivity, reinforce stereotypes, and impact sound decision making.

Critical thinking is mandatory; young Jedi must seek diverse perspectives, consider alternative outcomes, and be open to change.

“Confirmation bias is twisting the facts to fit your beliefs. Critical thinking is bending your beliefs to fit the facts. Seeking the truth is not about validating the story in your head. It’s about rigorously vetting and accepting the story that matches the reality in the world.”