Table of Contents
Tok Essay Titles May 2021
“Avoiding bias seems a commendable goal, but this fails to recognize the positive role that bias can play in the pursuit of knowledge.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.
The well-known metaphor ‘knowledge is a drop out of the vast unknown ocean’ not only opens up a window of understanding the vastness and immeasurable nature of knowledge but also throws light on the pursuit or quest for knowledge. In our means to attain the end ‘goal’, we discover different ways of constructing knowledge. Starting from empirical knowledge which is based on past experiences to rational knowledge based on logical reasoning, or for that matter metaphysical knowledge constructed out of preconceived notions or beliefs to intuitive knowledge built on the foundation of intuition well describe the wide range of ways to build up the comprehensibility of knowledge.
Is it not encompassing all the instinctive feelings which make our judgement-no matter even if our decisions are not even-handed? It’s a fact that you, me and we all get influenced by social impacts because of the simple reason that we are all social animals.
This word ‘influence’ now opens up a window of contestability for us on how good or bad bias is in the pursuit of knowledge.
Belief in bias or bias in belief
Belief, as the propositional statement of truth, has a key role in influencing biased judgement.
- What is it-because you believe something, you are biased or vice versa?
- Now, the question is whether ‘belief’ is making us believe that individual bias besmirches our decision making.
- The food for thought here is recognizing the determinants of individual bias.
Let’s consider the example of couple of WOKs as influencers. The role of sense perception, language, memory, belief, faith, emotion, imagination cannot be ignored in forming individual beliefs, which then become too firm to shape up to bias.
However, these WOKs are complemented by individual and shared knowledge.
It’s very commonly believed that an individual’s values, prior knowledge and beliefs perversely affect his or her logical decision making and rationality.
This opens up another window to justify the truth of the assertion.
- What about the bounded rationality due to anchoring or framework effect?
- Think about the misinformation and disinformation bias.
- A deep fake with the image distortion or manipulation with the scale of origin in a line or bar graph is not uncommon.
- No wonders the micro affirmations you would make with an influenced perception due to affinity bias, or for that matter halo or horns effect bias.
Bias in Mathematics
Bias is pretty common even in an analytical subject like Mathematics. Sampling bias happens to be a bias in which a sample is collected with some members of the intended population having a lower or higher sampling probability than others. Due to under coverage or voluntary response bias, the research results get tampered.
Consider the uptake of beliefs, fads and trends by following the herd.
You want to buy a certain style of outfit because it’s the trend, irrespective of whether it suits you or not.
Surprisingly, a foodie starts following strict diet regime because of the fad existing amongst her friend circle. Well, it’s appreciated if the person becomes conscious of healthy life style being influenced by her health freak companions or her nutritionist or some fitness videos! That’s a good bias though. Such filter bubbles are well appreciated to push her into the healthy echo chamber.
Well, political bias towards or against affiliations are quite common examples where one might get entrapped in the web of propaganda.
Bias in Religion
Bias for a religion propels a person to prove the beliefs and practices to be supreme, whereas bias against a religion may lead to vandalism.
Atheists hate religion and are very liberal politically is another bias. It makes you assume stuff, isn’t it?
As we unfurl the knowledge curtain we get to see how confirmation bias anchor us to our pre-existing thoughts, beliefs, and hypotheses. Our motivated reasoning attitude shuns us from being open-minded and welcoming to NEW IDEAS. This leaves a room for asking the question- ‘What’s the role of bias in nurturing our problem-solving skill?
Check out for more details on Title 6