Confirmation bias and it’s effect on our beliefs

I have been intrigued if not terrified at times by what I see happening to America and our ideals as far as what is true and what makes America great. In my mind Truth is and should be objective. Truth should be rooted in testable facts where as Beliefs are just that, beliefs which may or may not require a foundation of facts and therefore may or may not be True. None the less, Beliefs are extremely powerful behavioral determinants and are apparently more powerful than mere facts. So when I listen to people explain their perception of realities, I look at any supporting reasoning in terms of how they interpret events through their subjective lens applying these criteria: Cause, Correlation or Coincidence. 

Topics:

Global Warming

COVID 19 pandemic

What makes America Great

 Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias that can affect how people perceive and interpret cause, correlation, and coincidence. Here's how it can influence these concepts:

1. **Cause:** Confirmation bias can lead individuals to selectively seek and interpret evidence that supports their pre-existing beliefs or desired conclusions. When looking for a cause, people might focus on information that confirms what they already think or want to believe. This can result in a biased assessment of causation, as it may ignore or downplay other potential causes.

2. **Correlation:** Confirmation bias can also impact how people view correlations. If individuals have a preconceived idea or expectation about a relationship between two variables, they may be more likely to notice and remember instances that confirm their expectations while ignoring or dismissing contradictory data. This can lead to an overemphasis on perceived correlations that align with one's biases.

3. **Coincidence:** Confirmation bias can play a role in how individuals interpret coincidences. People may be more inclined to view coincidences as meaningful or supportive of their existing beliefs or superstitions. For example, if someone strongly believes in astrology, they might perceive a chance encounter with a person of a particular zodiac sign as more significant than it objectively is, attributing meaning to the coincidence due to their confirmation bias.

In summary, confirmation bias can distort the perception of cause, correlation, and coincidence by influencing how individuals collect, interpret, and remember information. It can reinforce pre-existing beliefs and hinder objective analysis by favoring data that aligns with one's existing views while dismissing contradictory evidence. This bias underscores the importance of critical thinking and a commitment to impartial evaluation when assessing causal relationships, correlations, or coincidental events.

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