Which Biases are most important to Overcome?

post by abstractapplic · 2024-12-01T15:40:06.096Z · LW · GW · 2 comments

This is a question post.

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  Answers
    4 robo
    3 David Gross
    1 Gordon Seidoh Worley
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In other words, what apparent imperfections in human reasoning

A) Remain apparent after the Replication Crisis,

B) Aren't secretly adaptive/reasonable in some counterintuitive way, and

C) Deal most damage to the people they inhabit (and/or those close to them, and/or wider society)?

Answers

answer by robo · 2024-12-01T20:34:03.042Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

Conjunction Fallacy.  Adding detail make ideas feel more realistic, and strictly less likely to be true.

Virtues for communication and thought can be diametrically opposed.

answer by David Gross · 2024-12-01T19:31:09.120Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

The fundamental attribution error is another important one. I sometimes find myself slipping into it myself when I get tired or inattentive, but for most people I observe it seems fully baked into their characters.

answer by Gordon Seidoh Worley · 2024-12-01T18:53:42.162Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

The Typical Mind Fallacy is the most important bias in human reasoning.

How do I know? Because it's the one I struggle with the most!

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comment by kave · 2024-12-01T20:39:46.361Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

What do you mean by A?

Replies from: abstractapplic
↑ comment by abstractapplic · 2024-12-01T22:26:18.856Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

Edited it to be less pointlessly poetic; hopefully the new version is less ambiguous. Ty!