Striving for Neutrality is Making You Dumber
Harnessing Your Biased Beautiful Brain
"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Robertson Davies
You're scrolling through your social media feed, engaged in a heated debate with a friend. You think, "I'm going to approach this objectively." We've all been there, haven't we? This noble pursuit of unbiased thinking, this quest for objectivity—it's practically hardwired into our brains as the hallmark of intelligent discourse.
But what if I told you that the desire to be unbiased is biased?
Can we be unbiased, or is it impossible to escape the influence of the "I"?
We can't remove ourselves from the equation. And you know what? That's ok. In fact, it might be more than ok—it could be the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
The Reality of the "I"
Let's start with a thought experiment. Close your eyes for a moment and picture a tree.
Got it? The tree you just imagined is uniquely yours.
It's shaped by every forest you've walked through, every picture book you've read, every painting you've admired, your favorite tree, etc. Your tree is a product of your experiences, memories, and essence.
This is the reality of the "I" – our personal experiences shape how we see the world. It's not just trees; it's everything. What are your political views? Shaped by your upbringing and life experiences. Your taste in music? A product of your cultural exposure and emotional associations. Even your understanding of this article you are reading is filtered through the lens of your previous knowledge and beliefs.
We perpetually view the world through our lens without taking it off.
It's not a pair of sunglasses we can remove at will; it's more like our eyeballs. Our perceptions, judgments, and understanding are linked to our narratives.
Think of your mind as a box. It is a sophisticated, constantly evolving box, but nonetheless. Everything you perceive, every thought you have, every conclusion you draw – it all happens inside this box. And no matter how much we try to expand it, we can't escape it.
"But wait," I hear you cry, "what about education? Travel? Exposure to diverse perspectives? Aren't these ways of expanding our minds?"
Absolutely! These experiences expand our box, making it more flexible and accommodating of ideas. But they don't let us step outside of it. Even as we learn and grow, we're still processing new information through the filter of our existing knowledge and experiences.
Have you ever revisited a childhood memory and seen it in a completely new light? That's your expanded box at work. You're not seeing the memory objectively but through your new, more experienced lens.
The reality of the "I" isn't a limitation; it's a fundamental aspect of human consciousness. It's what makes you, you.
Thinking Outside the Box?
"Think outside the box!" How many times have you heard this battle cry of creativity? It's thrown on motivational posters, shouted in brainstorming sessions, and praised as the holy grail of innovative thinking. But what if I told you that thinking outside the box is impossible and unnecessary? Let's unpack this.
"Thinking outside the box" has become a cliché in creativity and problem-solving. It's the go-to phrase for encouraging novel ideas and breaking free from conventional thinking. But it's based on a flawed understanding of how our minds work.
Remember our box from the previous section? That personalized, experience-shaped container of consciousness? Well, your thoughts don't exist outside that box. They can't. Your consciousness, your ability to think and reason, is the box.
Imagine a fish trying to understand the concept of water. Can it ever truly comprehend water from an outside perspective? The water is its entire world, the medium through which it experiences everything. Your mind is your water. Your thoughts, ideas, and perceptions all exist within this medium. Trying to think outside of it is like breathing in a vacuum.
"But wait," you might protest, "what about all those eureka moments? Those flashes of insight that seem to come from elsewhere?"
Ah, but they don't come from elsewhere. They come from your box – just from a corner you hadn't explored before. We often label "thinking outside the box" as thinking to the edges of our box, pushing against its boundaries, or connecting disparate ideas in new and exciting ways.
Consider the Wright brothers. Did they think "outside the box" when they invented the airplane? Or did they creatively combine concepts – propulsion, lift, control – in a new way, all within the box of their accumulated knowledge and experience?
Every groundbreaking idea in history, every paradigm shift, and every revolutionary concept came from someone thinking deeply inside their box. They just had a vast, flexible, or uniquely shaped box.
So, instead of trying to escape your box (which you can't) or pretending it doesn't exist (which is denial), why not embrace it? Your box is not a prison; it's your cognitive toolkit. It's the sum of your experiences, knowledge, and unique perspective. It's what makes your ideas yours.
The real challenge – and the real opportunity – is not to think outside your box but to expand it, reshape it, and explore its furthest corners. It's about making connections between ideas, challenging your assumptions, and sometimes pushing against the edges of your beliefs and understanding.
"The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself." - Thales
Bias Isn't Bad—It's Inevitable.
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "bias"? Unfair? Prejudice? Something to be eliminated? If so, you're not alone. In our quest for rationality and fairness, we've turned bias into the boogeyman, a flaw to be rooted out at all costs. But bias isn't just normal—it's necessary!
Let's define what I mean by bias. Bias is a mental shortcut, a way our brains make quick decisions based on past experiences and learned patterns. It's not inherently good or bad—it's just a tool our minds use to navigate a complex world without getting overwhelmed by information.
Bias is the natural, inevitable outcome of being a person.
Remember our box? Bias happens when we use that box to make sense of the world. It results from our unique set of experiences, knowledge, and perspectives. In other words, if you have a mind, you have bias.
"But wait," "what about all the harmful biases we see in society?
You're right. Some biases can lead to harmful outcomes, especially when unaware of them. But trying to remove bias is itself biased. It assumes that an unbiased state is possible (it's not) and desirable (debatable). It's like trying to see your own eyes without a mirror—the tool you're using to look is what you're trying to observe.
Even the most rigorous scientific studies, explicitly designed to minimize bias, still contain it. Researchers' backgrounds, training, and biases influence the questions they choose to ask, the methods they use, and the way they interpret results. Even the choice to make that study!
So, if we can't eliminate bias, what can we do? The answer is simpler and more challenging: We need to understand and work with our biases rather than denying them or trying to eradicate them.
Here are some ideas:
Acknowledge your biases: The first step is recognizing that you have biases. We all do. It's not a moral failing; it's part of being human.
Identify specific biases: Learn about common cognitive biases. Which ones do you notice in yourself? Confirmation bias? Availability heuristic? Dunning-Kruger effect?
Understand the origins: Reflect on where your biases come from. Are they based on personal experiences, cultural influences, or education?
Challenge your assumptions: When you catch yourself making a quick judgment, pause. Ask yourself, "What evidence do I have for this belief?"
Seek diverse perspectives: Look for viewpoints that differ from yours. This can help you recognize your biases and expand your understanding.
Use your biases consciously. Once you know them, you can choose when to rely on them (for quick, low-stakes decisions) and when to engage in more deliberate thinking.
The goal isn't to become bias-free (it's impossible) but to become bias-aware. It's developing a healthier relationship with your mind.
Seeing Other Perspectives
"Put yourself in their shoes." "See it from their point of view." We've all heard these phrases, often delivered with the best intentions. And there's no denying the value of empathy and understanding diverse perspectives. But even when trying to see through someone else's eyes, you still look through your own.
First, let's acknowledge the immense value of expanding our minds and cultivating empathy. These are crucial skills for navigating life. They help us build stronger relationships, make better decisions, and create more inclusive environments.
But even when trying to understand someone else's perspective, we still interpret it through our mental framework. Remember our box? It doesn't disappear when we try to see things from another angle. Instead, it acts like a translator, helping us make sense of the unfamiliar through the lens of our own experiences.
Imagine you're having a heated debate about a political issue with a friend. You take a step back and try to see things from their perspective. But you're not stepping into their mind as you do this. You're creating a model of their viewpoint based on what you know about them, their arguments, and your understanding of the issue. It's empathy, yes, but it's empathy filtered through your own biases and experiences.
This isn't a failure of empathy. It's simply the reality of how our minds work. We can't escape our consciousness more than we can jump out of our skin.
So, does this mean we shouldn't try to understand others? Absolutely not! This means we must approach the process with a healthy dose of self-awareness. Let's talk about how we can do that.
First things first, we need to recognize our limitations. We can never fully see the world through someone else's eyes. We can get close, but we'll always be viewing their perspective through our lens. It's like describing a color view that has never been seen—we can approximate it but can't transmit the exact experience.
Now, when you're trying to understand someone else's viewpoint, practice active listening. Instead of immediately filtering their words through your framework, try to absorb them. Ask questions to clarify. Repeat what you've heard to ensure you've got it right. It's like being a detective – gathering clues, not jumping to conclusions.
As you do this, keep an eye on your own biases. They're sneaky little things, always trying to color your interpretation. Ask yourself: "Am I making assumptions based on my own experiences?" It's like checking your rearview mirror – a quick glance can prevent many misunderstandings.
To really grasp perspectives, seek out first-hand accounts. While you won't step into someone else's shoes, you can get closer by listening to people share their stories in their own words. It's like traveling—reading about a place is good, but visiting gives you a new understanding.
Embrace the discomfort. If a perspective feels alien or uncomfortable, that's a sign you're encountering something outside your usual frame of reference. It's like exercising a muscle you don't usually use – it might feel awkward at first, and it may hurt, but that's where growth happens.
Try holding multiple perspectives at once. Instead of adopting someone else's viewpoint, practice holding it alongside your own. Can you see how both perspectives might be valid, given different experiences and assumptions? It's like being able to speak multiple languages – you're not giving up your native tongue; you're adding to your repertoire.
"The map is not the territory." - Alfred Korzybski
Accept Your Inner "I"
We've been conditioned to believe that being objective is the pinnacle of rational thinking. We strive to "remove ourselves from the equation," to be "unbiased observers." But here's the thing – we can't remove ourselves from the equation because we are the equation. Our subjective experiences, biases, and unique perspectives aren't obstacles to understanding the world. They're the very tools we use to make sense of it.
Imagine you're at an art gallery. You're standing before a painting, and it moves you deeply. Now, you could try to describe the painting in purely objective terms – the canvas's dimensions, the paint's chemical composition, and the precise wavelengths of light reflecting off it. But would that capture the essence of your experience? Would it convey the emotion, the meaning, and the impact of the art on you?
Of course not. The power of that moment comes from your subjective experience – your personal history, emotional state, and aesthetic preferences. It's your "I" that gives meaning to what you see.
The same principle applies to how we understand the world around us. Our subjectivity isn't a barrier to truth – it's our pathway.
This doesn't mean we should abandon critical thinking or fact-checking. But it does mean we should stop fighting against our inherent subjectivity and start working with it.
Use your subjectivity as a strength. Your unique perspective allows you to see things others might miss. Your subjective viewpoint can be your greatest asset. Don't shy away from it; lean into it.
Accepting your inner "I" doesn't mean being rigid in your views. Practice holding your beliefs lightly and being willing to update them as you encounter new information or perspectives. Think of your mind not as a fortress to be defended but as a garden to be tended.
Denying your biases is itself a bias. Self-awareness comes not from trying to eliminate your subjectivity but from understanding and working with it.
Accepting your inner "I" isn't about giving up on rationality. It's about embracing a more nuanced, realistic understanding of how we perceive and interact with the world. It's about recognizing that our subjectivity, biases, and unique perspectives aren't bugs in the human cognition system. They're features.
So, the next time you catch yourself trying to "be objective," pause. Take a deep breath. And instead, try being authentically, self-awarely you. Because it's not the absence of bias that leads to wisdom – it's the acceptance and skillful navigation of our beautifully biased selves.
What do you think? How does embracing your inner "I" sit with you? Share your thoughts in the comments – let's celebrate the symphony of our subjective selves!
Recommended Readings for Further Exploration
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. This book explores the two systems that drive the way we think—the fast, intuitive, and emotional system; and the slower, more deliberative, and logical system.
"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" by Jonathan Haidt. It delves into moral psychology, explaining how our intuitions come first and strategic reasoning second.
"Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People" by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald. This book explores implicit bias, revealing the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality.
"The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli. It examines various cognitive biases and logical fallacies, offering insights into how our minds work and why we often make irrational decisions.
"You Are Not So Smart" by David McRaney. This book humorously explores various ways in which we delude ourselves and succumb to cognitive biases.
"Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious" by Timothy D. Wilson. It delves into the idea that much of our mental processing happens outside our conscious awareness.