Confirmation Bias
The exercise is intended to show how you tend to come up with a hypothesis and then work to prove it right instead of working to prove it wrong. Once satisfied, you stop searching.
via youarenotsosmart.com
I have been chewing on this article all morning, asking myself: “When is the last time you really opened your mind?”
I was familiar with the notion of confirmation bias prior to reading this article, but hadn’t made the connections to belief, opinion, and identity (end of the article). As a Christian, I am more than aware of the pull to surround yourself with stuff that reinforces your beliefs. I have also mocked that trend when it gets silly, such as stamping “Jesus Loves You” on a bunch of cheap plastic toys in an effort to make them more acceptable.
All that being said, I am personally in the middle of an exhausting couple of months trying to sort out all of the ideas I have let in, trying to make sense of all of the data. In an effort to be open minded, I have listened to skeptics and their concerns about faith and find myself wrestling with questions I don’t have very good answers for.
All the cognitive dissonance is wearing me out.
How do you find the balance between keeping an open mind and constantly questioning your beliefs and identity?
Honestly? I really opened up, listened, struggled, thought, and realized that I could not reconcile religion, god, or the supernatural with intellectual honesty, rational thought, and, fundamentally, reality. Have been an atheist since that day – probably had been for a while. Also probably not the answer you were hoping for.
I guess for me I realized that no matter how comforting they were, it wasn’t worth holding onto beliefs that forced me into that kind of conflict.
@Anonymous – First, I respect where your journey has taken you. I know Christians have a bad rep when it comes to letting people NOT believe. Not my style. Second, on to your comments:In all honesty, I have not yet arrived at the point which you described, where there was no reconciliation between reality and concepts of God. In some ways, I feel like my personal confirmation bias switches between two poles, and that is the exhausting bit. Third, a "fundamentalist" could take this sentence: "I guess for me I realized that no matter how comforting they were, it wasn't worth holding onto beliefs that forced me into that kind of conflict" and argue that your viewpoint be abandoned — why struggle with scientific inquiry when the Bible has all the answers? Personally, I do not believe the Bible to be an exhaustive field manual/encyclopedia, but it illustrates the tension I am feeling. If there are only two options (poor assumption) then my bias will pull me toward one, and drive me toward the other. It will never direct me toward the middle or a third option. Thanks for your comments!