首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Why facts don’t change our minds A) The economist J. K. Galbraith once wrote, "Faced with a choice between changing one’s mi
Why facts don’t change our minds A) The economist J. K. Galbraith once wrote, "Faced with a choice between changing one’s mi
admin
2022-03-24
24
问题
Why facts don’t change our minds
A) The economist J. K. Galbraith once wrote, "Faced with a choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy with the proof."
B) Leo Tolstoy was even bolder: "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
C) What’s going on here? Why don’t facts change our minds? And why would someone continue to believe a false or inaccurate idea anyway? How do such behaviors serve us? Humans need a reasonably accurate view of the world in order to survive. If your model of reality is wildly different from the actual world, then you struggle to take effective actions each day. However, truth and accuracy are not the only things that matter to the human mind. Humans also seem to have a deep desire to belong.
D) In Atomic Habits, I wrote, "Humans are herd animals. We want to fit in, to bond with others, and to earn the respect and approval of our peers. Such inclinations are essential to our survival. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived in tribes. Becoming separated from the tribe—or worse, being cast out—was a death sentence."
E) Understanding the truth of a situation is important, but so is remaining part of a tribe. While these two desires often work well together, they occasionally come into conflict. In many circumstances, social connection is actually more helpful to your daily life than understanding the truth of a particular fact or idea. The Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker put it this way, "People are embraced or condemned according to their beliefs, so one function of the mind may be to hold beliefs that bring the belief-holder the greatest number of allies, protectors, or disciples (信徒), rather than beliefs that are most likely to be true."
F) We don’t always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about. I thought Kevin Simler put it well when he wrote, "If a brain anticipates that it will be rewarded for adopting a particular belief, it’s perfectly happy to do so, and doesn’t much care where the reward comes from—whether it’s pragmatic (实用主义的) (better outcomes resulting from better decisions), social (better treatment from one’s peers), or some mix of the two."
G) False beliefs can be useful in a social sense even if they are not useful in a factual sense. For lack of a better phrase, we might call this approach "factually false, but socially accurate." When we have to choose between the two, people often select friends and family over facts. This insight not only explains why we might hold our tongue at a dinner party or look the other way when our parents say something offensive, but also reveals a better way to change the minds of others.
H) Convincing someone to change their mind is really the process of convincing them to change their tribe. If they abandon their beliefs, they run the risk of losing social ties. You can’t expect someone to change their mind if you take away their community too. You have to give them somewhere to go. Nobody wants their worldview torn apart if loneliness is the outcome.
I) The way to change people’s minds is to become friends with them, to integrate them into your tribe, to bring them into your circle. Now, they can change their beliefs without the risk of being abandoned socially.
J) Perhaps it is not difference, but distance, that breeds tribalism and hostility. As proximity increases, so does understanding. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, "I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better."
K) Facts don’t change our minds. Friendship does. Years ago, Ben Casnocha mentioned an idea to me that I haven’t been able to shake: The people who are most likely to change our minds are the ones we agree with on 98 percent of topics. If someone you know, like, and trust believes a radical idea, you are more likely to give it merit, weight, or consideration. You already agree with them in most areas of life. Maybe you should change your mind on this one too. But if someone wildly different than you proposes the same radical idea, well, it’s easy to dismiss them as nuts.
L) One way to visualize this distinction is by mapping beliefs on a spectrum. If you divide this spectrum into 10 units and you find yourself at Position 7, then there is little sense in trying to convince someone at Position 1. The gap is too wide. When you’re at Position 7, your time is better spent connecting with people who are at Positions 6 and 8, gradually pulling them in your direction.
M) The most heated arguments often occur between people on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the most frequent learning occurs from people who are nearby. The closer you are to someone, the more likely it becomes that the one or two beliefs you don’t share will bleed over into your own mind and shape your thinking. The further away an idea is from your current position, the more likely you are to reject it outright. When it comes to changing people’s minds, it is very difficult to jump from one side to another. You can’t jump down the spectrum. You have to slide down it.
N) Any idea that is sufficiently different from your current worldview will feel threatening. And the best place to ponder a threatening idea is in a non-threatening environment. As a result, books are often a better vehicle for transforming beliefs than conversations or debates. In conversation, people have to carefully consider their status and appearance. They want to save face and avoid looking stupid. When confronted with an uncomfortable set of facts, the tendency is often to double down on their current position rather than publicly admit to being wrong. Books resolve this tension. With a book, the conversation takes place inside someone’s head and without the risk of being judged by others. It’s easier to be open-minded when you aren’t feeling defensive.
O) There is another reason bad ideas continue to live on, which is that people continue to talk about them. Silence is death for any idea. An idea that is never spoken or written down dies with the person who conceived it. Ideas can only be remembered when they are repeated. They can only be believed when they are repeated. I have already pointed out that people repeat ideas to signal they are part of the same social group. But here’s a crucial point most people miss: People also repeat bad ideas when they complain about them. Before you can criticize an idea, you have to reference that idea. You end up repeating the ideas you’re hoping people will forget—but, of course, people can’t forget them because you keep talking about them. The more you repeat a bad idea, the more likely people are to believe it.
P) Let’s call this phenomenon Clear’s Law of Recurrence: The number of people who believe an idea is directly proportional to the number of times it has been repeated during the last year—even if the idea is false.
People often accept false beliefs because they prioritize social bonds rather than facts.
选项
答案
G
解析
注意抓住题干中的关键信息false beliefs、social bonds和facts。文章段落中涉及错误观念、人们在事实和社交方面选择的内容出现在G段。该段第一句指出,错误信念在社交意义上是有用的,即使它们在事实意义上毫无用处。随后在第三句中说,当我们不得不在两者之间做出选择时,人们往往选择朋友和家人,而不是事实。题干是对原文这两处信息的概括归纳。题干中的accept false beliefs对应原文中的False beliefs can be useful in a social sense;题干中的they prioritize social bonds rather than facts对应原文中的people often select friends and family over facts。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/dAx7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
《西游记》(JourneytotheWest)也许是中国文学四大经典小说中最具影响力的一部,当然也是在国外最广为人知的一部小说。这部小说描绘了著名僧侣玄奘在三个随从的陪同下穿越中国西部地区前往印度取经(Buddhistscripture)的艰难历程
A、Trydifferentclassestomakesurewhichmajorfitsyou.B、Neverchangemajorsonceyou’vejuststartedthecourse.C、Changem
Itmaycomeasasurprisetomanyanexhaustedmotherorfather—butthinkingaboutyourchildrencouldimproveyourmemory,ast
Yourweightaffectshowlongyoulive—butit’sextremelycomplicatedA)Weoftenthinkaboutweightlossintheshortte
Yourweightaffectshowlongyoulive—butit’sextremelycomplicatedA)Weoftenthinkaboutweightlossintheshortte
网购(onlineshopping)是电子商务的一种形式。顾客轻点鼠标,足不出户就可以通过网络购买商品或服务。物美价廉的商品令越来越多的人迷上了网购。与此同时,网购随时随地都可以进行,极为便利,非常切合年青一代的需要。据预测,中国网购人数将以更快的速
重庆位于中国西南部,长江上游。它是一座举世闻名的山城,最突出的特点是地形起伏有致,立体感强。重庆凭借长江“黄金水道”之便,依托丰富的资源和广阔的市场,从汉代起就是长江上游的工商业重镇,如今更发展成为集重工业、轻工业、贸易等为一体的经济、政治和文化中心。
A、Arrangingcamerasandbelongings.B、Providingservicesoftransportation.C、Offeringthepracticalexperience.D、Coordinating
A、Gainingasmuchexperienceaspossible.B、Gaininganadvantageoverotherapplicants.C、Makingadequatepreparationsforthei
A、Classmates.B、Colleagues.C、Bossandsecretary.D、PRrepresentativeandclient.B录音提到,Jokn和Sue加入了一家成功的publicrelation公司。由此可知他们
随机试题
下列情形中,属于业务流程层面控制的是()。
关于甲亢的药物疗法,下列哪项是错误的
A.阴阜B.大阴唇C.小阴唇D.阴道口E.阴道前庭为耻骨联合前面的皮肤隆起
诊断癫痫通常主要依靠
交流单相回路的电力电缆,不得有金属带、钢丝铠装。()
团队决策的方法通常有( )。
依据票据抗辩的后果,票据抗辩可分为()。
岗位存在是为了实现特定的任务和目标服务的,岗位增加、调整和合并都必须以()为衡量标准。
行政主体是指享有行政职权,能以自己的名义行使国家行政职权,做出影响行政相对人权利义务的行政行为,并能由其本身对外承担行政法律责任的组织。根据上述定义,下列所述属于行政主体的是( )。
设f(x)在[a,b]上连续,在(a,b)内可导.证明:存在ξ,η∈(a,b),使得
最新回复
(
0
)