Philosophy Now Forum

To what extent do egocentric biases influence the information we trust?

What are your thoughts?

ask a hedonist...

-Imp

Natalie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:02 am To what extent do egocentric biases influence the information we trust?

What are your thoughts?

To a great extent. On a scale from 74 to 3489, I'd say it's around 3247.

Natalie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:02 am To what extent do egocentric biases influence the information we trust?

What are your thoughts?

The answer depends on the situation and the information you’re seeking.

- For example, say you have a scatter-brained auntie.
- You know from experience that she says left when she means right, in a lot of ways.
- She has the affliction of opposites.
- Your egocentric bias is accuracy when seeking travel directions.
- Auntie isn’t consistently accurate, even when it counts.
- So, you don’t trust her for directions, and this is a truthful, objective bias.
- You also don’t trust her when she says she turned off the stove because you have an objective bias against inappropriate fire.

Egocentric bias is on the inside.

Objective reality is on the outside.

When the two match, no more separation.

What conditions, if any, would cause egocentric bias to match objective reality?

When they do match, the egocentric bias is for truth.

Internal egocentric bias determines entirely what elements of the information we receive are trusted as truth.

Take the hedonist, for example.

It is a pleasure to have one’s beliefs affirmed, and a bit of a pain to be debunked. Encountering what confirms one’s bias, regarding self or anything else, is a path to (blind) contentment. Seeing, hearing or reading something that disrupts one’s bliss is a downer. No one wants that.

Hedonist or not, the pleasure/pain principle applies to the information we trust.

Natalie wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:02 am To what extent do egocentric biases influence the information we trust?

What are your thoughts?

Egocentric biasis - and I'm guessing that means ego and biased. Not a good thing. They can turn the whole good thing down. You're asking for limits? There's no limits to how much of a devil a person could be or how much good a person could be. So egocentric biases could make minced meat of the whole world anytime.

Great question! My response to the question is: Probably completely.

Now, of course, not everyone is as thick in their ego, or as intoxicated with biases, but if they do have egocentric biases, they probably won't trust anything that doesn't reflect the same back to them.

Does the question lend itself to a complete egocentricism?

I avoid egocentric biases as much as possible since I much prefer an emotionally neutral state of mind
I cannot be absolutely bias free of course but I can definitely keep it down to an acceptable minimum

egocentric group think is double plus good

-Imp