====== Confirmation Bias ======


**Rule:** \\ 
When recalling information relevant to a subject, don't bother recalling information that doesn't support your viewpoint. When interpreting information (making [[:analysis:mind:story|Story]]), don't think of interpretations that don't support your viewpoint.


Confirmation bias is a tendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses. As a result, people gather evidence and remember information selectively, and interpret it in a biased way. See [[wp>Confirmation Bias|Confirmation Bias]].


What is noteworthy about confirmation bias is that it supports the [[:analysis:mind:argumentative_theory|The Argumentative Theory]]. Although confirmation bias is almost universally deplored as a regrettable failing of reason in others, the argumentative theory of reason explains that this bias is [[:analysis:evolution:adaptive|Adaptive Behavior]] because it aids in forming persuasive arguments by preventing us from being distracted by useless evidence and unhelpful stories.


Interestingly, [[wp>Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin]] made a practice of recording evidence against his theory in a special notebook, because he found that this contradictory evidence was particularly difficult to remember.


{{tag>bias behavior}}


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