I am beginning to see that as we are created in the Divine Image of God, with the breath of life breathed in by God, and when we accept salvation through Jesus, the enemy has no authority over us. Therefore, Satan is attempting to remove us from God’s domain any way that he can, deception, physically, and spiritually. He can do this overtly or covertly.
There is just too much information in the world, we have no choice but to filter almost all of it out. Our brain uses a few simple tricks to pick out the bits of information that are most likely going to be useful in some way.
We notice flaws in others more easily than flaws in ourselves.
Yes, before you see this entire article as a list of quirks that compromise how other people think, realize that you are also subject to these biases.
The world is very confusing, and we end up only seeing a tiny sliver of it, but we need to make some sense of it in order to survive. Once the reduced stream of information comes in, we connect the dots, fill in the gaps with stuff we already think we know, and update our mental models of the world.
- We find stories and patterns even in sparse data. Since we only get a tiny sliver of the world’s information, and also filter out almost everything else, we never have the luxury of having the full story. This is how our brain reconstructs the world to feel complete inside our heads.
- We fill in characteristics from stereotypes, generalities, and prior histories whenever there are new specific instances or gaps in information. When we have partial information about a specific thing that belongs to a group of things we are pretty familiar with, our brain has no problem filling in the gaps with best guesses or what other trusted sources provide.
- We imagine things and people we’re familiar with or fond of as better than things and people we aren’t familiar with or fond of.
- We simplify probabilities and numbers to make them easier to think about. Our subconscious mind is terrible at math.
- We think we know what others are thinking.
- We project our current mindset and assumptions onto the past and future. Magnified also by the fact that we’re not very good at imagining how quickly or slowly things will happen or change over time.
Problem 3: Need to act fast
We’re constrained by time and information, and yet we can’t let that paralyze us. With every piece of new information, we need to do our best to assess our ability to affect the situation, apply it to decisions, simulate the future to predict what might happen next, and otherwise act on our new insight.
- In order to act, we need to be confident in our ability to make an impact and to feel like what we do is important. In reality, most of this confidence can be classified as overconfidence, but without it we might not act at all.
- In order to stay focused, we favor the immediate, relatable thing in front of us over the delayed and distant. We value stuff more in the present than in the future, and relate more to stories of specific individuals than anonymous individuals or groups.
- In order to get anything done, we’re motivated to complete things that we’ve already invested time and energy in.
- In order to avoid mistakes, we’re motivated to preserve our autonomy and status in a group, and to avoid irreversible decisions.
- We favor options that appear simple or that have more complete information over more complex, ambiguous options.
Brainstorming
The next infographic comes from thethinkingshop.org and is attempting people to engage with critical thinking. This is a wall poster for Brainstorming. The also have a 54 Creative Thinking cards including:
• Idea Generators
• Perspective Shifts
• Mental Models
• Provocations
• Group Brainstorming Tools
Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies
Couched in a biblical looking format, from thethinkingshop.org comes a false Ten Commandments of sorts. We must be careful, even with seemingly “safe” concepts or sites, because they can worm their way into our perceptions, and impact our value system.
A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they’re often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. Don’t be fooled! This website has been designed to help you identify and call out dodgy logic wherever it may raise its ugly, incoherent head.
Humans Make Mistakes
Another infographic comes from the Visual Capitalist on our cognitive bias and mental mistakes.
Of course, AI is also bias, but that is acceptable. One look at this website and you will see immediately that once again we are defective humans. .
24 Cognitive Biases That Are Warping Your Perception of Reality
We are each entitled to our own personal world view.
But unfortunately, when it comes to interpreting information and trying to make objective sense of reality, human brains are hard-wired to make all kinds of mental mistakes that can impact our ability to make rational judgments.
In total, there are over 180 cognitive biases that interfere with how we process data, think critically, and perceive reality.
Flawed Human Reasoning
There is no simple way to get around these basic human instincts, but one thing that we can do is understand the specific mistakes we make and why.
Today’s infographic comes to us from School of Thought, a non-profit dedicated to spreading critical thinking. The graphic describes 24 of the key biases that warp our sense of reality, providing useful examples along the way.
Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two of the leading social scientists known for their contributions to this field. Not only did they pioneer work around cognitive biases starting in the late 1960s, but their partnership also resulted in a Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002.
Biases Distorting Reality
Here are some of the biases we found most interesting from the list:
Declinism
You remember the past as better than it was, and expect the future to be worse than it is likely to be.
Just World Hypothesis
Your preference for a just world makes you presume that it exists. It is much more uncomfortable to think that the world is unfair, but by understanding this you will make more accurate judgments about people and situations.
“The Rock! His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4
Belief Bias
If a conclusion supports your existing beliefs, you will rationalize anything that supports it. Instead of willingly looking at new information, we are primed to defend our own ideas without actually questioning them.
Our belief system is absolute. There is no compromise. What is boils down to is our faith in Jesus Christ.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
Framing Effect
Context and delivery can have a big impact on how a story is interpreted. We can be manipulated, and work to limit the effect that framing has on our critical thinking.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16
The Curse of Knowledge
Ever try to explain something you know intricately and have worked on for many years? It’s hard, because you’ve internalized everything you’ve learned, and now you forget how to explain it. This bias is similar—you know something inside and out, and what is obvious to you is not to others.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
Reactance
Sometimes we all get the urge to do the opposite of what we’re told. Nobody likes being constrained. The only problem is that when we’re in this situation, there is a tendency to overreact and to throw any logic out of the window.
This reminds me of Mike the Headless Chicken, a chicken who head as chopped off but lived years as a chicken. How is that even possible? Because he had his primal brain still intact. Here is his story. As you watch this remember this is how globalists want, for you to react to whatever they put out there. In fishing terms to buy the lies: hook, line, and sinker.
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Spotlight Effect
Because we each live inside our own heads, our natural focus is on what we’re thinking and doing. We project this onto others, and we overestimate how much they notice about how we look or how we act.
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. Titus 1:15
Summary
In today’s world we are surrounded by cognitive warfare. We can:
- Do it to ourselves,
- The government and military have weaponized our brains from within and without using weapons,
- Companies can manipulate our thinking processes,
- Certainly, we can clearly see in Scripture that cognitive warfare has supernatural elements.
The key is to be aware and to stand firm by using scripture verses when you recognize inbound fiery cognitive thoughts entering your brain. In this age of cognitive warfare we each need to take steps within our decision process to be mindful of of our very thoughts.
Next time we will look at the burgeoning discipline of Cognitive Warfare: The Human Mind as a Battlefield.
In the meantime: We must take our thoughts captive, or our thoughts will take us captive. 2 Corinthians 10:5.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Blessing in the faith of of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Celeste