TOD 10.29.07

We tend to see what we have already seen. Put another way, we tend to see what fits best with what we already believe. It’s a phenomenon psychologists call “theory-laden perception,” and all it means is that we tend to interpret new data in the way that best fits with our commitment to our previous interpretations of old data. As one person explained, “People, not eyes, see.”

When a racist is mistreated by someone of a different race, his contempt for that race is strengthened. When the same racist is mistreated by someone of his own race, he writes it off as that person just having a bad day. Not only do we tend to see things this way, but we also tend to seek out information we hope will confirm our existing biases. This makes us feel wise. When passing a bad driver on the road, we tend to look to verify that the person is of the right gender, age, race, or distractedness by technology to confirm our condemnation.

If the end goal of an act is to feed evil, however, wisdom lies in not even beginning the search.