Usually groupthink and bandwagoning are fairly benign (and may even serve a positive purpose for groups). There are moments in history, however, where these tendencies cause the body to dismantle itself.
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Replying to @Evolving_Ego @brazen_cabeza
at best they can increase ingroup cohesion, which may be prosocial under some circumstances. at worst they can lead to bad shit ranging from tragic mistakes to enraged pogroms. groupthink is extraordinarily dangerous.
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Replying to @danlistensto @brazen_cabeza
Climate change advocacy is running on group think. 5% of advocates actually understand enough of the science to have an independent opinion. 95% are bandwagoning.
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Replying to @Evolving_Ego @brazen_cabeza
yes, and I am increasingly concerned that the groupthink rather than authentic understanding of the science will result in tragic mistakes when policies are being decided on.
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Replying to @danlistensto @brazen_cabeza
Could be. But without bandwagoning would there even be a conversation going on? Can the average lay person possibly study enough to be in position to think independently about all of the political issues we face?
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Replying to @Evolving_Ego @brazen_cabeza
No, they can't, but the tendency to groupthink has made a lot of people _have_ opinions on things that they ought not to because the act of having an opinion is a signal of group allegiance and that motivates them a lot more than truth-seeking and intellectual humility.
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I'm trying to understand your perspective though. Do you mean to say that groupthink on climate change issues is good? Climate change issues are a very serious problem indeed, but I'm not seeing how having mass scale intellectual confusion on the topic is a good thing.
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Replying to @danlistensto @brazen_cabeza
I'm trying to say that maybe "groupthink" isn't the full problem. It's groupthink combined with other conditions that makes things dysfunctional. And we might be throwing a baby out with the bathwater if we get rid of groupthink entirely.
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Replying to @Evolving_Ego @brazen_cabeza
we're social primates, there's no danger of us getting rid of groupthink entirely. could use some serious downsizing though, we do way too much of it. there is a rather clear and present danger of mass delusion leading to tragedy though.
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Replying to @danlistensto @brazen_cabeza
I would point my finger at those who stand in the way of reasonable dialogue. We don't need everyone to be independently rational. We just need everyone to be reasonable. Reasonableness allows us to correct for bias in dialogue.
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well said
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