More on Cognitive Bias - Ten Troublesome Human Instincts or Cognitive Misconceptions cont. 11

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This approach has been criticised as their narratives
"...rest on shaky assumptions, cherry-picked data and faulty moral compass..."
Roland Paulsen as quoted by Michelle Gibbings, 2022f

There are always multiple perspectives, eg the pandemic (starting in 2020) has resulted in much suffering: millions dying, tens of millions sick, polarised division in society, etc. Yet significant increases in kindness has occurred, like people helping, donating and volunteering. As a result, it has been named 'the pandemic of benevolence'.

To get around these misconceptions, critical thinking is important. It must be done within a framework that respects the evidence.

Some examples, where this is not the case:

- DDT has been classified by the World Health Organisation as mildly harmful to humans and to be used with great caution. However, it has more health benefits than drawbacks in many situations, like controlling malaria-carrying mosquitoes in refugee camps, etc. Despite this, many aid organisations, who depend upon popular support, will not use DDT as it has a negative public image for contaminating the ecosystem.

- Vaccinations against killer diseases have saved countless lives - yet some people are sceptical and will not be vaccinated, like for Covid-19, during the pandemic (starting 2020)

- Fukushima nuclear disaster (Japan, 2011) had no casualties from the leaking radioactivity. Yet
"...1,600 people died......They were mainly old people who died of mental and physical stresses of the evacuation itself or of life in evacuation shelters. It was not the radioactivity, but the fear of radioactivity, that killed them..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

When you have automatic mistrust and fear, this blocks the ability to analyse data-driven discussions, ie
"...I didn't see what I wanted to see. I saw what I was afraid of seeing. Critical thinking is always difficult, but it's almost impossible when we are scared. There is no room for facts when our minds are occupied by fear..."
Hans Rosling et al, 2018

Need to ask 2 questions, ie

i) do you understand the ramifications of your decision, eg being unvaccinated greatly increase the risk of being infected and becoming sick, even maybe dying

ii) what evidence would convince you to change your mind? If the answer is no evidence convince you otherwise, then you are putting yourself outside evidence-based rationality