Truly Understanding it

We all hate being wrong but it often gives us room for growth. Recently, I’ve analyzed misconceptions I have had, and ones that many others have had in an attempt to identify at least one cause. Ever since I have been mindful about how I read and analyze information and I feel more confident in my ideas.

The first problem I identified is emotional argumentation and emotional acceptance. Often, arguments will be constructed to sound sensational. Flashy titles decorated with subjective terms to set you in the mood the author wants you to feel. When you feel the way they want you to, information can be slipped past you without rational digestion.

The term “if it bleeds, it leads” describes one part of this pattern. Often referring to media and journalism, the term simply means that violence and death will earn clicks or sell papers. Think back to an advertisement, article, or documentary that made you angry. You might be able to tell me about the problem with vague details. You might have an idea about a possible solution presented to you, too. When you listen to an argument, always stay neutral and argue the other side in your head. If someone knows what they’re talking about and has a good point, it wouldn’t hurt them to answer your questions and it won’t hurt you to ask.

Next, I’ve found that numbers are used without context to provoke the aforementioned pattern. This is as easily fixed as the first. If someone ever presents a number to you, ask for the context and ask for what should be normal. If someone has a genuine proposal and baseline, they’ll be able to answer you. If someone is caught up in emotion, they’ll answer in vague and emotional ways. For a silly example, “100,000 floobals blarkened!” could be answered with something along the lines of “How many do you think is normal?” or “Is that outside of the norm?”

I’ve found that the people who make the most noise about a subject are those who are least educated on the issue. This comes from the idea that information easily understandable will be repeated the most. Humans don’t have perfect memories and they often repeat what they understood, not necessarily what they read. Why does this matter? Based on the first pattern, you might recall that people react and read sensational information more. They’ll be giving you their feelings. That doesn’t mean their ideas don’t matter, but it means you should always scrutinize their research. When I’ve tried this, I often get befuddled stuttering, and eventually an admission that their research went as far as the title of an article they scrolled by that day.

Finally, do your own research and do it well. If you follow the words of a single person, institution, or political party will lead to misinformation and a lack of nuance. All of the problems listed here will cause a lack of nuance and understanding of a topic. A good rule of thumb is to look at how long the explanation is. If your explanation, idea, or understanding of the topic can be summarized in a sentence, you usually aren’t nuanced and could do more research. While researching, look for multiple pieces and try to find pieces that oppose you and oppose each other. You’ll often find that both sides of an argument will have an idea, but the best solution or point is somewhere in the grey.

Be skeptical. There is nothing wrong with asking questions, even of ideas or rules that are set in stone. Every year, some scientists devote their time to disprove the laws we use so don’t be afraid to ask for nuance!