Why biases exist
The mind is a limited instrument with its own peculiarities it is almost never pure. There are biases, programs, and layers of ignorance that distort perception. These tendencies evolved because they were useful for survival in tribal times. When a tribesman died from eating a poisonous fruit, the tribe learned to avoid that fruit not through experiment, but through collective belief. It was safer to believe than to die. This survival mechanism is now hardwired into the human mind.But what is useful for survival is unreliable for knowledge. Cunning people exploit these built-in biases to propagate false information which they call knowledge.
Types of biases
Democratic knowledge bias
The tendency to believe something is true because many people say it, or because it has been repeated for many generations. The situation is so bad that it does not take millions to convince you it takes only two or three people. A lot of people being on your side and repeating what you say gives it power, but it can be total garbage, total deception.Confirmation bias
An ignorant person is not looking for knowledge only for confirmation of beliefs. Whenever such a person reads a book or watches something, internally they are only looking for what confirms their existing beliefs. They almost unconsciously filter out anything that contradicts them. And as soon as they find even the tiniest bit that seems to support them, they accept it eagerly.Survival bias
Accepting information that aids survival without verification, because the risk of experimenting is too high. This was crucial in tribal life if someone said don't go on that road, the bridge has collapsed, you believed them. But this mechanism is misused in contexts where survival is not at stake.Authority bias
The tendency to believe something because an authority said it. Authorities get their respect and reputation for good reason, but occasionally we find corruption, deception, and fake authorities. A statement does not become true because a great person said it.Antiquity bias
The tendency to believe something because it is old. In ancient times, books were few and written by wise people. Now anyone can write anything. Old does not mean true old means old.Biases and the seeker
The seeker must recognize their own biases and learn to set them aside. direct experience and logic are the only reliable means of knowledge. Everything else no matter how emotionally compelling, how widely believed, how ancient, or how authoritative must be verified.Ignorance is the misorganization of memory due to existing biases, indoctrination, and conditioning. Cleaning this up through the valid means of knowledge is the process of gaining knowledge. The path of knowledge is, in essence, a process of removing these biases one by one until what remains is the clear light of direct knowing.
See also: cognitive biases, ignorance, blind belief, indoctrination, critical thinking, means of knowledge, logic, direct experience.