Tuesday, March 31, 2020

False bias equivalence

This article in Perspectives on Psychological Science (2019) refutes the notion that liberals and conservative are equally biased, and when liberals more accurately and objectively claim something that cannot reasonably be called bias. There is a clear distinction between fact and fiction and to draw an equivalence between them is absurd at best. Just because a source has a liberal focus does not mean that they are not using accurate or factual information, or that their interpretation is someone tainted due to bias. Colbert was right when he said that "reality has a well-known liberal bias."

"Epistemic virtues are more prevalent among liberals than conservatives, and these conclusions are closer to the truth of the matter when it comes to current American politics. [...] There is also a good deal of evidence that liberals perform better than conservatives on objective tests of cognitive ability and intelligence.  Conservatives, on the other hand, appear to be more gullible. They also score higher than liberals on measures of self-deception. Social scientists are increasingly finding that conservatives are more likely than liberals to spread 'fake news,' political misinformation, and conspiracy theories throughout their online social networks."

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