I am full of Bias

In my discussions with Stuart on vegetarianism I have been making an attempt to understand his way of thinking. I believe it has been an honest attempt...

but... there has been a strong bias, as he has pointed out pointedly in the comments to my last post on the subject.

I pointed recently to a discussion between two professors taking opposite sides on the moral realism debate. For and against.

The discussion is very calm and balanced. Both would be said to be arguing for their side of the argument, but they were both at pains to express with clarity the arguments of the other side to show that they understood.

I was pretty impressed. It was a very dispassionate argument. Anyone who knows anyone in my family and our history of debate would not use the word dispassionate to describe us. Most of my friends over the years have also held strong beliefs and discussions have been less of an attempt to find the truth than to win the argument or debate.

I have tried not to do this here, and yet failed. Reading "Mundane Dishonesty" on Overcoming Bias (read this it's funny cause its true) made me feel a bit better. I am interested in finding the truth, but that doesn't make me any less attached to the lies.

Should a not say `I hope vegetarians don't have an argument that convinces me because I like eating meat'? It's the truth.

Can I have an affection or attachment for one side of the argument? I would say yes, but then to compensate for this bias I should work extra hard at trying to prove myself wrong. I can say `I hope I am right, but let me look at X, Y, and Z'.

On the contrary, we probably spend more time trying to prove to others that we are right.

In this particular case, I also realise that I haven't done my homework. I am not a meat eater because I have read widely on the subject, mulled over both sides of the story and come to a well thought out conclusion that I am able to defend.

I am a meat eater because my parents are, my friends in general are and it is all I have ever known. I have changed other opinions that were because of the same reasons and I changed them despite a fondness for my previous opinions....

So I think it is possible. I am biased....

But I will try to compensate by attacking that bias.