Change my mind

I told Joe that the mainstream media continues pushing biased narratives and lies by omission. I gave him irrefutable proof! Yet, how can he not see? Joe is not stupid. But his whole life, he has trusted the Evening News to report accurately, so he thinks that one incident was just a rare exception.

Previously I mentioned mind sets and their function as the lens that is used to evaluate related information. They are necessary to filter the deluge of information that stimulates our minds constantly so we can function. Once a certain mind-set has developed, it can only be changed by adding in new information to let it evolve. This is the basis of a general principle of perception. It is why Joe cannot see the truth right away with only one incident. It will take several. Look at the picture, starting in the top left and going across to the right, and then starting the second row back on the left as well. It illustrates two things. Like mind-sets, new information assimilated can gradually alter the overall picture of what we perceive. It takes repeated injections of new information. Second, we also see that small gradual changes can go unnoticed initially as well. Can you see at which point your perception of the man’s face switched to the image of the sitting woman? If you were to start from the opposite end of the series, the transition point of the switch would likely be closer to the other end as well. Likewise, when analyzing a conclusion, we can see how minor information can go unnoticed, but yet have impact as we veer from the validity of our solution or explanation. In Critical Thinking we cannot avoid our mind-sets nor change them instantly to achieve objectivity. We can only identify our assumptions and communicate our reasoning upon them for others to examine. Then they can be challenged by others and evaluated for validity. Continually refining the conclusions with the new information, expecting the best solution can evolve as a result.

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