zero

Our tribal biases (in-group, out-group etc.) are now on a huge scale thanks to digital connections across the globe. And these influence policy, personal actions, the economy, etc. Our shortcomings are magnified, and they affect everyone.

Further, we are attracted to conflict, controversy, and drama. Because of the outcry that envelops these topics, we overstate their importance and fixate an unnecessary amount of attention on them. For our ancestors, noise and drama might've posed a risk to their lives.

For us, not so much. And those who side with rationalism, who notice the methods at play, are not at the forefront of these debates. Let's face it, rational explanations for things are simply not that exciting. There's no passion behind them, no good and evil, no emotion

We don't want bland - we want exciting. Something to get mad at, something to rally behind. But on this large scale, the most important issues often get neglected. Petty disagreements with little-to-no consequence dominate our media platforms.

We'll likely never eliminate all our cognitive biases - at least not any time soon (and by that time we may not be recognisable as humans). So the key is to understand them, then recognise when they emerge in your own thoughts and in others. Then respond by re-evaluating.