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Everyone is biased?

  • 18-09-2017 8:06pm
    #1
    Fathom
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 9,336 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    Max Weber in Economy & Society (1922) suggested that no one was value free. Everyone was biased. Does this suggest that court judges were biased too, and not impartial? Were football referees, police officers, and scientific researchers biased? Was there anyone you can think of that was not biased in some way? Comments? Arguments?


Comments

  • #2
    seagull
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭seagull


    Is it possible to be biased, but impartial? I know when acting as a match official in games involving my own club, I'd be naturally biased towards my own side, but I tried to act in an impartial way. In some cases, I probably went too far the other way because I was aware of my natural bias.


  • #3
    Fathom
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 9,336 CMod ✭✭✭✭Fathom


    seagull wrote: »
    Is it possible to be biased, but impartial?
    A troublesome ethics question. Affecting many judgment structures in society.


  • #4
    mzungu
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,309 Mod ✭✭✭✭mzungu


    Fathom wrote: »
    Max Weber in Economy & Society (1922) suggested that no one was value free. Everyone was biased. Does this suggest that court judges were biased too, and not impartial? Were football referees, police officers, and scientific researchers biased? Was there anyone you can think of that was not biased in some way?

    Comments? Arguments?
    I think bias does have an impact, but it does vary. This is why peer review is so important (assuming no groupthink is taking place, which does happen). Likewise with court cases where you can appeal a decision and now in football where the video camera becomes a referee aid (not introduced yet but will be on the way). Bias will always be there, it all depends on how it is dealt with. So I do think pretty much everybody has some form of bias in one way or another, but that does not necessarily mean it manifests itself in all cases. Different individuals can have a handle on it. Awareness of one's own biases being key here.


  • #5
    lazybones32
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,647 ✭✭✭lazybones32


    Feral children who were not raised in human society would imo be the only humans capable of non-biased thinking/judgement.
    The rest of us are.

    I guess A.I. could be considered free from bias but is it limited by its code parameters?


  • #6
    Fathom
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 9,336 CMod ✭✭✭✭Fathom


    mzungu wrote: »
    I think bias does have an impact, but it does vary.
    Subject to variation in human behavior.
    mzungu wrote: »
    This is why peer review is so important (assuming no groupthink is taking place, which does happen).
    Intersubjectivity to increase reliability.
    mzungu wrote: »
    Likewise with court cases where you can appeal a decision
    "Money talks and OJ walks." Dream Team and socio-economic status bias.
    mzungu wrote: »
    and now in football where the video camera becomes a referee aid (not introduced yet but will be on the way).
    NFL football ref decisions reversed today due to vid replays.
    mzungu wrote: »
    Awareness of one's own biases being key here.
    Ethnographic fieldwork notes of self-bias one approach.
    lazybones32 wrote: »
    Feral children who were not raised in human society would imo be the only humans capable of non-biased thinking/judgement.
    Interesting observation. Would you please consider expanding upon it?
    mzungu wrote: »
    I guess A.I. could be considered free from bias but is it limited by its code parameters?
    What about programmer content and context bias. Storyboarding bias?


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  • #7
    Robert333111
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37 ✭Robert333111


    I have debated a particular political topic in other places on the Internet, and my impression is that most people form a political view by a certain age, and then become somewhat emotionally attached to it, so that they are unlikely to change their current political view no matter the objective-information provided to them. My view on this is that I never try in any political reply post, to change someone's mind. I consider others to be entitled to their view, and that their view should be respected, just as you wish for your view to be respected. For this reason when replying to a political post I tend to direct my comments about it, to the general reader.

    But why then do people become so attached to a political viewpoint despite objective-evidence that may, to most people, rebut it? For example, U.S. politics has become somewhat polarized between Democrat and Republican.
    I wonder, if people become thus attached to a particular political viewpoint, based more on their social group affiliation, and/or friendship group, than regarding the logic of the political idea itself !
    Thus take for example one of the U.S. political party affiliations - Consider what would happen were (as does rarely happen) someone decide to change "sides" - They would then likely also have to change most of their friends as well !

    Bias then seems to become re-enforced in those who are: well educated, have friends, and actually have a life. Well, I can let you know right now, that this issue most certainly does not affect me - - - -Er, - - - - Oops!



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