Veracity

by Douglas E. Richards

“The worst part about it,” said Elias, “is that this tendency causes us to impugn the motives of the other side. We know we’re acting in good faith, but assume the other side is acting in bad faith. We know that our motivations are noble and pure, but suspect those of the other side are dubious, corrupt, or self-interested. Makes it impossible to have a reasoned discussion.” “Seems so incredibly bleak,” said Connor. “I know your point is that things aren’t bleak. But human nature itself seems to be our worst enemy.” Elias sighed. “Sadly, this is true. Any number of behaviors that once helped us survive are now working against us. I’ll just throw out one more. Confirmation bias. This is our tendency to seek out information that supports and reinforces our beliefs, and ignore or discount any information that is contrary to them. So we stick to our guns, even against overwhelming evidence that we’re wrong.”