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What is “Bias?”

Few people want to think of themselves as being “closed-minded.” That is the notion that you are not open to new experiences and you are “set in your ways.” At the other end of that continuum is “open-mindedness,” the trait of being open to the idea of new experiences and more willing to listen to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Neither trait is necessarily right or wrong, but they do portend very different outlooks about how each holder deals with the world and how they interact with others.

These two approaches to life’s experiences are not equal in the sense that we need both in order to have balance in who holds positions of responsibility, or who to trust, or any of a long list of options or choices. But when it comes to bias, they definitely are vastly different and they can have serious consequences. The closed-minded person is biased, while the open-minded person is not.

I doubt if anyone is completely biased or unbiased. We all have certain likes and dislikes that we tend to cling to. And we probably all understand that knowledge comes to us in small steps, and we are wise to first be skeptics. But each must learn to adjust to change when the evidence supports it. The open-minded person, for example, is not open to every new idea that comes along just because it is new. That idea could be new but very dangerous. Similarly, who wants to cling to every old idea that proves itself daily to be false and harmful?

But a tendency to cling to the old in the face of a lot of evidence against that old idea is problematic. If you are thinking about climate change, then we are on the same track. When 98 percent of one group are in agreement with the evidence, and 65 percent of everyone agrees, while close to zero in another group agrees with the evidence, we have a problem. Those outlooks lead to very different conclusions about the future, and expenditures, and priorities and voting choices.

Psychologists tell us that we cannot change what we do not acknowledge. If 501 facts show evidence in favor of something, while 499 other facts show evidence against it, we all are justified in being skeptics about change. Even 600 v. 400 is not convincing. But 980 v. 20 is overwhelming, especially when the 20 bits of evidence are frivolous. And when those who are against change scrape hard and long to arrive at nonsensical reasons for clinging to the past.

Still, climate change is not the fundamental problem. It is the predisposition to be against any change that upsets someone’s beliefs that is the problem. The person who is open-minded reads widely, and he or she listens to a wide range of ideas and outlooks and lets the evidence guide their own outlook. That person does not prejudge others, and does not reject something new just because it is new. But they are still skeptics. They need proof. Science also requires convincing proof before changing from one paradigm to a new paradigm.

The closed-minded person does not want to hear about new ideas. He has his beliefs and that’s all that he needs. Would you want to work for such a person? On a personal level, here is a good way to think about your own biases: Could you defend a long-held belief all alone against 20 other people what had a different belief? Would you even want to try?

Dr. Susan Perry in Psychology Today has a quiz that can assess how open- or closed-minded you could be. It is not judgmental, but it can give you some insight about the subject. Take it for fun, or take it for serious insight to your own biases. It’s a good starting place.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creating-in-flow/201311/how-open-minded-are-you-quiz