Interesting Perspective

[JimmyinSD]

Insight from Gad Saad on how we are "programmed" to look for information:

Gad Saad
@GadSaad
You might recall in chapter 7 of The Parasitic Mind wherein I referenced a theory that posits that human reasoning did not evolve to seek truth but to win arguments.  Well, when you watched yesterday's reaction by @TheDemocrats, it is a perfect manifestation of that insight.  They are not animated by some deontological ideals.  Rather, if their opponents cure cancer, they will scream that it is unfair to kill off cancerous cells.  The inability of human minds to see beyond their tribal allegiance is a fundamental flaw of the architecture of our reasoning faculty.
9:01 AM · Mar 5, 2025
·
268.2K
Views


certainly explains the responses we typically see on these types of forums... from both sides of the political spectrum.

[Zanary]

Insight from Gad Saad on how we are "programmed" to look for information:

Gad Saad
@GadSaad
You might recall in chapter 7 of The Parasitic Mind wherein I referenced a theory that posits that human reasoning did not evolve to seek truth but to win arguments.  Well, when you watched yesterday's reaction by @TheDemocrats, it is a perfect manifestation of that insight.  They are not animated by some deontological ideals.  Rather, if their opponents cure cancer, they will scream that it is unfair to kill off cancerous cells.  The inability of human minds to see beyond their tribal allegiance is a fundamental flaw of the architecture of our reasoning faculty.
9:01 AM · Mar 5, 2025
·
268.2K
Views


certainly explains the responses we typically see on these types of forums... from both sides of the political spectrum.

That's a limited outlook honestly. The current mess still is built on years and years of disinformation and dishonesty...some fresh from last night.  Doubling/tripling the Ukraine investment is right up there with lying about Zelenskyy's "dictator" status and approval ratings; it's right to research and address the findings of our "representatives'" statements.

In fact, it's our job.

The partisan "me vs you" disaster is undeniable, certainly, and something I've raged about here and elsewhere...and a strong argument against continuing the duopoly. I said on an actual political board recently that it would be best for investigators to be neutral, because partisan witch hunts only find one type of witch. When a huge amount of our society is trained to think in terms of the duopoly, it's harder to find people thinking outside the binary.

If the person yakking away in press conferences lies and behaves horribly with consistency, and the person's party circles wagons around these behaviors, that's just a terrible look for that collective in general...period. As i watch more and more conservatives announcing their disgust with our presidential horror show, I wonder if the GOP will find its spine, again.

During the "45" years, I had no problem eating my plate of crow when some deals with Natives came from the White House; I was relieved for a break from the tweets, scandals, and related insanity. This time around, with a noted "revenge tour" talked about since before election day, I don't think that it's a simple "parasitic mind wanting to win arguments". I can't remember so many insults thrown at our allies, so much coddling to our enemies, and so much flagrant misuse of authority for obvious power mongering.

This seems to be one-upmanship on a grand scale, proving that even the "cancel cultures", "wokism", and ridiculous gender anti-science insanity of recent years wouldn't be the most obnoxious, unsettling noise from our Capitol.

[JimmyinSD]

That's a limited outlook honestly. The current mess still is built on years and years of disinformation and dishonesty...some fresh from last night.  Doubling/tripling the Ukraine investment is right up there with lying about Zelenskyy's "dictator" status and approval ratings; it's right to research and address the findings of our "representatives'" statements.

In fact, it's our job.

The partisan "me vs you" disaster is undeniable, certainly, and something I've raged about here and elsewhere...and a strong argument against continuing the duopoly. I said on an actual political board recently that it would be best for investigators to be neutral, because partisan witch hunts only find one type of witch. When a huge amount of our society is trained to think in terms of the duopoly, it's harder to find people thinking outside the binary.

If the person yakking away in press conferences lies and behaves horribly with consistency, and the person's party circles wagons around these behaviors, that's just a terrible look for that collective in general...period. As i watch more and more conservatives announcing their disgust with our presidential horror show, I wonder if the GOP will find its spine, again.

During the "45" years, I had no problem eating my plate of crow when some deals with Natives came from the White House; I was relieved for a break from the tweets, scandals, and related insanity. This time around, with a noted "revenge tour" talked about since before election day, I don't think that it's a simple "parasitic mind wanting to win arguments". I can't remember so many insults thrown at our allies, so much coddling to our enemies, and so much flagrant misuse of authority for obvious power mongering.

This seems to be one-upmanship on a grand scale, proving that even the "cancel cultures", "wokism", and ridiculous gender anti-science insanity of recent years wouldn't be the most obnoxious, unsettling noise from our Capitol.

you missed it again.

Saad is a wicked smart guy that has multiple degrees in behavioral sciences.  It was his perspective on our brains seeking bias confirmation over the truth in order to win arguments is what I found interesting.  The application to anything currently being discussed is a different matter, but I certainly do see what he is suggesting in many of the threads on here and others over the years.

[purplefaithful]

And the media feeds that bias no doubt...

I think of it less scientifically and rather culturally;

NOBODY is rewarded for compromise anymore.

How is a democracy supposed to work or survive in that environment???

[BigAl99]

you missed it again.

Saad is a wicked smart guy that has multiple degrees in behavioral sciences.  It was his perspective on our brains seeking bias confirmation over the truth in order to win arguments is what I found interesting.  The application to anything currently being discussed is a different matter, but I certainly do see what he is suggesting in many of the threads on here and others over the years.

Saad is a Marketing Professor, specialized in consumerism, his PHD is in marketing, MBA and BS in math.  His research focused "on how hormones affect and are affected by consumer behavior".  He sounds like he has a solid background and marketing is kinda of an intersection of economics and social science.  I'll check out his podcast, he does appear on FOX quite a bit, .

[Waterboy]

you missed it again.

Saad is a wicked smart guy that has multiple degrees in behavioral sciences.  It was his perspective on our brains seeking bias confirmation over the truth in order to win arguments is what I found interesting.  The application to anything currently being discussed is a different matter, but I certainly do see what he is suggesting in many of the threads on here and others over the years.

This is almost undeniably true.  I think we all get invested in arguments that we make and beliefs that we hold.  The one thing that's also true is that especially in points in time, one side goes over the deep edge and one practices common sense, which means those same beliefs you want to be true and that you seek bias to be true, are indeed true.   I think we're in that era now.

[Zanary]

...this perspective was actually part of required reading back when I got my BA, and here's more from him:

1. Beware of idea pathogens. Idea pathogens are ideas that are harmful to our minds and society. They can be spread through social media, the news, and even our own friends and family.

2. Don't be afraid to question authority. Just because someone is in a position of power doesn't mean they're always right. Be willing to challenge the status quo and think for yourself.

3. Beware of groupthink. Groupthink is when people in a group make decisions that are not in their best interests because they want to fit in. Be willing to speak up and disagree with the group if you think they're wrong.

4. Beware of echo chambers. Echo chambers are online communities where people only hear information that confirms their existing beliefs. This can lead to people becoming more extreme in their views and less open to new ideas.

5. Beware of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them. This can lead us to make bad decisions and believe things that aren't true.

6. Beware of the backfire effect. The backfire effect is when people become more entrenched in their beliefs when they're presented with evidence that contradicts them. This can happen because people don't like to be wrong, and they may feel like they have to defend their beliefs in order to save face.
7. Beware of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning-Kruger effect is when people who are incompetent at something overestimate their abilities. This can lead them to make bad decisions and believe things that aren't true.

8. Beware of the availability heuristic. The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that we use to make decisions based on the information that is most easily available to us. This can lead us to make bad decisions because we may not be considering all of the relevant information.

9. Beware of the anchoring effect. The anchoring effect is when our judgment is influenced by the first piece of information we're given. This can lead us to make bad decisions because we may not be considering all of the relevant information.

10. Beware of the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy is when we continue to invest in something, even when it's clear that it's a bad investment, because we don't want to admit that we've made a mistake. This can lead us to lose even more money in the long run.


Numbers 2, 3, and 4 have a ton of relevance here, but it's all worthwhile. I've posted here against groupthink and many times against echo chambers...and confirmation bias is always a danger, which is why I don't like echo chambers/partisan propaganda factories; hence, going to the least bobbleheaded versions.

Said all this, repeatedly. Not new territory.