TED Talk #201: How we, smartly, fool ourselves & other fake news talks about bias …

I received a link to a Financial Times article from a mate of mine today. A mate I think is super smart. The image at the top of this blog is from that FT article.

I found the article fascinating as the author Tim Harford explores “[f]rom forgeries to Covid-denial …. how we fool ourselves. Whether believing implausible statistics or falling for frauds, humans are addicted to wishful thinking”.

The FT article reminded me of this talk by Tali Sharot where she “shares new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright side — and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial.”

In this world of #fakenews, of a lot of shouting about being “right”, reading the article and rewatching this talk reminded me to, always, question what I see, hear and read. To challenge my own assumptions. And to, far more consciously, try and see the world from other (real) perspectives.

My Masters thesis was titled “Revealing the Real” and explored the notion of different, but equally valid and “right” or “true” realities in Nobel Laueate Harold Pinter’s screenplays. So it really should not be a massive stretch for me to accept multiple versions of a situation. However, I think that age entrenches our views and so to be more accepting of other viewpoints requires more, focused, effort.

Thanks Herman for reminding me of that. And for brightening my day with a fascinagting story. I hope you enjoy Tali’s talk!