In-group/out-group Bias – Expand Your Thinking

Us And Them

By kenraines March 10, 2021 Cognitive Bias, Critical Thinking, In-group/out-group Bias, Psychology No Comments

If you haven’t noticed, America is polarizing into two main factions. The trigger for this division is generally seen as being the election of Donald Trump in 2016, though, to me, this ‘us vs. them’ culture war started decades earlier. This “us and them” thinking is, of course, also called in-group favoritism and out-group bias. It is the result, apparently, of our natural tribalism, meaning we tend to quickly form distinct groups or “tribes” in various areas of life (politics, religion). Problems can arise as the polarization between in/out-groups increase. Here is an excellent 12 minute video on the psychology…

I Can Tolerate Anything Except the Outgroup

By kenraines July 10, 2020 Cognitive Bias, Echo Chambers, In-group/out-group Bias No Comments

I Can Tolerate Anything Except the Outgroup https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GLMFmFvXGyAcG25ni/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup As promised, here’s a link to Scott Alexander’s long essay on political in/out-groups hosted on LessWrong. For me, it bogs down a little in sections III and IV, but after that is very well written and important. All sections should be read as the sections build on previous ones.

The Principle of Charity

By kenraines July 8, 2020 Critical Thinking, In-group/out-group Bias No Comments

My second blog post recommended using the Principle of Charity when dealing with people and avoiding the Fundamental attribution error (subject of third post). Here’s a very basic look at the Principle of Charity applied to people’s statements and actions in everyday life. An article for a more complete look at the principle as applied to arguments by others: