Consider one of the following current social issues – or one of your choice:
Gun violence
Racism
Economic inequality
Sexism
Violent crime
Immigration
For the initial post, address the following:
State your position on one of these issues – are you for, against, or neutral? Explain why. Avoid vagueness or ambiguity in your response. Make your position very clear.
Examine how you have formed that opinion.
How well do you think you know the facts?
Do you know and understand statistical information that applies to the issue?
Do you think you have formed your opinion using only System-1 thinking, or have you applied System-2?
What part have heuristics, cognitive bias, and dominance structuring played in how you have formed your opinions?
The initial post is not about how “correct” your position is; it is about how you arrived at your position on the issue. This discussion requires application of metacognition – thinking about how you think.
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Issue: Gun violence
Position: I am against gun violence. I believe that guns are too dangerous to be in the hands of civilians, and that stricter gun control laws are necessary to reduce gun violence.
How I formed my opinion: I have formed my opinion on gun violence through a combination of personal experience, research, and critical thinking.
Personal experience: I have been personally affected by gun violence. When I was a child, my father was shot and killed in a robbery. This experience has had a profound impact on my life, and it has made me very aware of the dangers of gun violence.
Research: I have also done a lot of research on gun violence. I have read articles, books, and reports on the issue, and I have watched documentaries and interviews. This research has helped me to understand the causes of gun violence, the effects of gun violence, and the potential solutions to gun violence.
Critical thinking: I have also used critical thinking to form my opinion on gun violence. I have considered all of the arguments for and against gun control, and I have weighed the evidence carefully. I have also tried to be aware of my own biases, and I have made an effort to be objective.
How well do I know the facts? I believe that I know the facts about gun violence fairly well. I have done a lot of research on the issue, and I have tried to be objective in my assessment of the evidence. However, I am always open to learning more about gun violence, and I am always willing to change my opinion if I am presented with new evidence.
Do I know and understand statistical information that applies to the issue? Yes, I do. I am familiar with the statistics on gun violence, including the number of gun-related deaths in the United States each year, the types of guns that are most often used in gun violence, and the demographics of gun violence victims. I understand these statistics, and I know how to interpret them.
Have I formed my opinion using only System-1 thinking, or have I applied System-2? I have applied both System-1 and System-2 thinking in forming my opinion on gun violence. System-1 thinking is fast, intuitive, and emotional. System-2 thinking is slow, deliberate, and rational. I have used System-1 thinking to generate hypotheses about gun violence, and I have used System-2 thinking to test those hypotheses and to evaluate the evidence.
What part have heuristics, cognitive bias, and dominance structuring played in how I have formed my opinions? Heuristics are mental shortcuts that we use to make judgments and decisions. Cognitive bias is the tendency to favor certain information over other information, even when the other information is more accurate. Dominance structuring is the tendency to focus on the most important information when making a judgment or decision.
I have used heuristics, cognitive bias, and dominance structuring in forming my opinion on gun violence. For example, I have used the heuristic of availability to make judgments about gun violence. Availability is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind. In the case of gun violence, I have been more likely to remember examples of gun violence that have been highly publicized, even though those examples may not be representative of all gun violence.
I have also used cognitive bias in forming my opinion on gun violence. For example, I have been more likely to believe information that confirms my existing beliefs about gun violence, and I have been more likely to discount information that contradicts my existing beliefs.
Finally, I have used dominance structuring in forming my opinion on gun violence. For example, I have focused on the most important information about gun violence, such as the number of gun-related deaths each year, and I have ignored less important information, such as the types of guns that are most often used in gun violence.
I am aware of the role that heuristics, cognitive bias, and dominance structuring have played in forming my opinion on gun violence. I have tried to be aware of these biases, and I have made an effort to be objective in my assessment of the evidence. However, I know that it is impossible to completely eliminate bias from my thinking.
