Why you think you're right -- even if you're wrong | Julia Galef

Perspective is everything, especially when it comes to examining your beliefs. Are you a soldier, prone to defending your viewpoint at all costs — or a scout, spurred by curiosity? Julia Galef examines the motivations behind these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information, interweaved with a compelling history lesson from 19th-century France. When your steadfast opinions are tested, Galef asks: "What do you most yearn for? Do you yearn to defend your own beliefs or do you yearn to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?"

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[shruthiswaminathan]

The whole video can be summed up as:

1. Challenge your beliefs
2. Question your assumptions
3. Stick to the facts

If you want to bank on feelings - rather bank on curiosity and a motivation to learn the truth/ build clarity than investing in the comfort from confirming one’s bias or understanding.

A very relevant message in today’s time of social media feeding more of what we know/ want to see/ agree with.

[petertrahan]

I've always presented this idea in terms of the trial lawyer vs the detective. The job of the detective is to find the truth. The job of the lawyer is represent the client. Two very different games. When we are driven by ego we deploy our lawyer self to play the legal game. When we are trying to solve a puzzle we deploy our detective self to play the mystery game.

[CRobinsonpk]

I'm laughing so hard. we just watched a video on confirmation bias and motivated reasoning. in the first comment I read is " Donald Trump supporters need to hear this." and then " the left needs to hear this." LOL I think you guys missed the

[chintharakesh]

What a great closing statement .. “we need to learn how to feel proud not ashamed when we notice we have been wrong about something. We need to learn how to be intrigued but not defensive when we encounter information that contradicts our prior belief”

[clintcalvert]

This is gold to my soul. I have been questioning myself, regarding so much. I still question others, but always look at other viewpoints.

[AlexSmith-grhp]

This just proves I was right all along

[ericmiller]

Too bad more people haven't viewed this video; the message is quite valuable and very much needed by so many.

[caughtinwire]

Another important bias to confront in addition to the one mentioned in the talk is Naive Realism. To play off the speaker's metaphor, naive realism involves believing that you have a scout mindset when you really still have a soldier mindset. It is the universal tendency for people to believe that they see the world objectively and that their viewpoints are therefore automatically correct, even when they're perception may be biased and incomplete and they have made no attempts to investigate whether their viewpoints are truly supported or not. Naive realism compounds the soldier mindset by leading people to deny that they have it.

[rnedlo]

Thank you. The topic was well presented and shed some light on how it affected a whole generation. As a boy growing up in the shadow of WWII, the people in charge were veterans of that war. They also had a mental mind set that categorized EVERYONE/EVERYTHING immediately. Once someone or thing was 'labeled', there was no changing their minds. Your "soldier' analogy was enlightening and accurate. Those men had to make a decision and act on it right away or they would not make it home. Once engrained, that thinking is not very flexible, believe me. I admired those men for what they did, but those awful years braking that terrible grip their prejudice had on this country was a scare on both generations felt to this day by survivors. I have noticed a revival of that kind of thinking lately, only it is not based in a cause like defeating fascists', but in self righteousness based in ignorance fanned by ill intent egomaniacs.

[carloscasados-hypnotherapy]

We have always needed this but, now our society needs this more than ever! Thank you! 🙏

[aadil]

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

- Aristotle

[messenjah]

We don't believe in something because it's true. It's true to us because we believe it.

The unconscious aspect of the soldier mentality.

[Jasondurgen]

Based on the comments, there’s 3 kinds of people in the world:
1. Those who are wise enough to understand that they understand nothing.
2. Those who are too dumb to understand they don’t know everything.
3. Those who will definitely not miss the chance to inform you about the previous two kinds of people.

[Jacob]

Nice work, Julia.
Appreciate the objective approach in this presentation

[Kinan_a.m]

It's all about feelings and emotions, that's why emotional people are more likely to depend on their prejudices in judgment, and vice versa people who feel less or, thinkers are more likely to have the scout mindset, and that's why you can't find an emotional judge, he's going to say ( no I don't like that guy, I just feel that he's arrogant, put him in prison for 5 years)

[nelsoncassoma]

This is one of the most simple and humble presentations I've ever seen.

[pauloftw]

The worst part is, when all you are looking for is the truth - and rational conversation - you reap the ire of BOTH sides of the debate. It's mind boggling to someone who doesn't care what you think, but your reasons for thinking it.

[audobone]

The audience seems quite dull. It was an interesting enough talk.

[Digganob]

Something to remember is there's a little soldier in all of us. Some are more or less so, but there's a little in us all.

[jimnesstarlyngdohnonglait]

Think more as wise as possible like 8-11% cellphone users out of total 200KM square KM specifically location in 2009
Vs
Think more as wise as possible like 71-74% cellphone users of of same 200SquareKm specifically location in 2022