How Bias Bends Fact

by Patrick Appel

Joe Keohane's article on the fact that "facts don't necessarily have the power to change our minds" is making the rounds:

These findings open a long-running argument about the politicalignorance of American citizens to broader questions about the interplaybetween the nature of human intelligence and our democratic ideals.Most of us like to believe that our opinions have been formed over timeby careful, rational consideration of facts and ideas, and that thedecisions based on...