r. Keith and Corey explore the two primary forms of reasoning — confirmatory reasoning, otherwise known as “confirmation bias”, and exploratory reasoning, which considers multiple perspectives and anticipates criticism and objection to one’s views and positions.
Most of us like to think we have already overcome our own confirmation bias, but this is rarely the case. The vast majority of us are operating via confirmatory reasoning every day of our lives, punctuated by brief occasions of explanatory reasoning. This is particularly true in the social media age, when external algorithms are unconsciously reinforcing our worldviews with every click and fragmenting us into clashing cults of information.
Because that’s the key to exploratory reasoning — we only tend to do it when we know that we must engage with others who might be more intelligent and well-informed than ourselves, and whose views are unknown to us.
When was the last time you experienced that on Facebook?
On the other hand, when we are primarily engaging with people who’s views we already know (or assume to know, as is more often the case), we tend to resort to our confirmatory reasoning as a way to reinforce our credibility or social status.
And when we are talking to people we perceive as overly hostile or aggressive, we tend to abandon reason altogether.
When was the last time you experienced THAT on Facebook?
Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey explore these two critical types of reasoning, and how our critical and moral reasoning evolves as we shift into more integral stages of development.