How To Overcome Confirmation Bias And Expand Your Mind? - Article Analysis Essay

Introduction

It is true when the author states that confirmation bias forms a mental stumbling block to our ways of thinking because all humans inevitably have some degree of bias. There are various ways through which individuals can overcome confirmation bias. One of the approaches that one can use to overcome confirmation bias is through conquering fear and being not afraid of expanding their mind (Collins). People are scared of being brainwashed while in reality they should learn to have the ability to think deeply about the new beliefs and ideas that come their way. Expanding one's mind does not necessarily mean that they will have to concur or disagree with the idea or belief but acquire the ability think critically.

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Overcoming confirmation bias means overriding an individual's ego which prevents them from pursuing new ideas and expanding their mind. It is crucial to get one's ego out of the way since it hinders the attainment of new ideas. The elimination of confirmation bias requires the individual to acquire humility and the willingness to learn new things. No one in the world knows everything and that is why the ego ought to be shelved aside to allow for someone to have some knowledge about almost everything instead of knowing everything about just one thing. Ego makes one speak a lot when they should be humble enough to listen or read more to learn new things.

Keeping information channels open is the other ideal way of eliminating confirmation bias. Expanding one's mind away from the confirmation bias means that they will avoid closing off themselves from new information (Collins). The world would be a dull place without any new knowledge in the preceding philosophers and scientists did not have the thirst for new information that criticized what they already knew. Opening up to new ideas does not mean that one has to adhere to them but just that there is always more room for extra knowledge that would come in handy in different situations in the future.

The other way of overcoming confirming bias is through questioning the beliefs and ideas that one holds dear to their heart. A common mantra advanced by the late Steve Jobs was 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!' This was geared towards encouraging people to always ask questions even if they may come out as stupid. The only dumb question in the world is the one that is never asked, hence individuals should be at liberty to questions things that they believe in their minds to see whether they make sense at the end of the day. Though provoking queries help people to broaden their range of thinking.

Confirmation bias is best avoided when people are able to harbor independent thoughts by thinking for themselves. In a contemporary world of social media, it is prudent for people to filter the information that they come across and be able to decide for themselves on what is good or bad for them. It is pointless to agree with the thoughts and ideas of others without taking a step back to ponder on whether the idea that they want to support is a good one or just a popular line of thinking. Taking the time to think independently is advisable instead of jumping into every idea that comes one's way (Collins).

Lastly, it is important to embrace disagreements as part of an individual's learning curve that will help them to avoid confirmation bias. This is because the ideals and beliefs that one holds will be challenged every now and then by the people they interact with on a regular basis. It would be helpful to listen to their perspectives on the ideas and beliefs that one holds true before dismissing them offhand without listening to that they have to say. The disagreements provide an ideal opportunity for the individual to take their turn to explain the reasons behind embracing the ideas and beliefs that are being challenged.

Works Cited

Collins, Nancy. "How To Overcome Confirmation Bias And Expand Your Mind." LifeHack October 28 2017. Internet Resource.