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View Full Version : Science Confirms: Politics Wrecks Your Ability to Do Math.



Arbo
10-02-2013, 01:23 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/most-depressing-brain-fin_b_3932273.html



Kahan conducted some ingenious experiments about the impact of political passion on people's ability to think clearly. His conclusion, in Mooney's words: partisanship "can even undermine our very basic reasoning skills.... [People] who are otherwise very good at math may totally flunk a problem that they would otherwise probably be able to solve, simply because giving the right answer goes against their political beliefs."

In other words, say goodnight to the dream that education, journalism, scientific evidence, media literacy or reason can provide the tools and information that people need in order to make good decisions. It turns out that in the public realm, a lack of information isn't the real problem. The hurdle is how our minds work, no matter how smart we think we are. We want to believe we're rational, but reason turns out to be the ex post facto way we rationalize what our emotions already want to believe.

Interesting study, and it makes sense as this sort of 'behavior' and 'denial' is seen quite often in daily life.

It also explains how politicians keep on keeping on in their destruction of the nation and Constitution and the citizens don't rise up and stop any of it... because they are eating the partisan lines from their 'side'.

revelarts
10-02-2013, 01:58 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/most-depressing-brain-fin_b_3932273.html
Interesting study, and it makes sense as this sort of 'behavior' and 'denial' is seen quite often in daily life.
It also explains how politicians keep on keeping on in their destruction of the nation and Constitution and the citizens don't rise up and stop any of it... because they are eating the partisan lines from their 'side'.

yep, been saying that for years.
one term i've heard used for the problem, when it comes to using reason and evidence AGAINST your particular view is
"differential rigor"

Meaning that a person requires a BOATLOAD of evidence, facts, references from "accepted sources" and logic to move them FROM their current position.
But just about anything from anywhere logical or not, that confirms ones beliefs is instantly acceptable.

Reason and facts are not peoples final arbiters in areas of politics, religion, science, health, anything having to do with core beliefs it seems to me.

cadet
10-02-2013, 02:09 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/most-depressing-brain-fin_b_3932273.html



Interesting study, and it makes sense as this sort of 'behavior' and 'denial' is seen quite often in daily life.

It also explains how politicians keep on keeping on in their destruction of the nation and Constitution and the citizens don't rise up and stop any of it... because they are eating the partisan lines from their 'side'.

I was about to freak at the title and say that my math skills are pretty awesome, and I'm fairly into politics.
But after reading, yeah. Just look at how many polls there are, and two can be on the same thing yet have completely opposite findings.

(Usually it's because you didn't do a good enough job finding said statistics)