Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Reject it!

You surely understand in principle that worthless information should not be treated differently from a complete lack of information, but WYSIATI [what you see is all there is] makes it very difficult to apply that principle. Unless you decide immediately to reject evidence (for example, by determining that you received it from a liar), your System 1 [subconscious mind] will automatically process the information available as if it were true. There is one thing you can do when you have doubts about the quality of the evidence: let your judgments of probability stay close to the base rate. Don’t expect this exercise of discipline to be easy—it requires a significant effort of self-monitoring and self-control.— Thinking, Fast and Slow, page 153

<idle musing>
How relevant! This is how marketing/advertising—and propaganda!—work. And it's also why they are so effective. We are naturally lazy thinkers, so our minds go the way of least resistance. : (
</idle musing>

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