Thoughts

Older people know something that I don't. I have heard often of the man who says what he is thinking, regardless of his audience, airing his thoughts on any subject that happens to quicken his anger or passions. Sons and daughters quickly shush old men like this for fear of offense, and strangers cast sideways glances, dismissing them as senile. Still, these men know something that I don't. They know that the opinions of others are no threat to them. They know that they will go on living in spite of the anger roused in others by their beliefs; and they know that one's beliefs can as easily be shaped by others if he or she is not careful to define them oneself. These men may lack prudence, but they have wisdom. They may express indifference, but they radiate certitude. There is a balance to be had, I suppose, and a time and place for everything; but in a climate rife with sensitivity to the politically correct, it can be both comic and telling to watch one of these older...

In a recent article in National Geographic ( "Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science "), Joel Achenbach attempted to explain why humans have trouble believing the evidence laid out in scientific research. In the article, he cited a phenomenon called confirmation bias , our tendency to adopt the evidence that fits what we already believe. Now, I am a feeling person by nature. Subconsciously, I make choices in my environment based on my emotional reaction to it. Similarly, I have found that the information I remember most is the information I respond to with strong emotion, whether that emotion is humor, anger, shock, or something else. This is why I believe confirmation bias exists: we respond to facts emotionally. However, sometimes we learn information that, instead of confirming what we believe, has the opposite effect. We are introduced to facts that shock us out of our complacency. That shock can jar us into questioning long-held beliefs, and even entire worldviews...