Bias

id: 1695321113
Date: Aug. 22, 2025, 12:10 p.m.
Author: Donald F. Elger

Goals

Describe bias in a person or in information.
Skillfully recognize bias and respond appropriately.
Avoid bias in your thinking and communication.

Bias (What)

Bias in a Person

A person is biased iff their judgments, interpretations, or actions systematically deviate from objectivity, fairness, or accuracy due to enduring predispositions, preferences, or distortions in perception, reasoning, or evaluation.

Bias in Information

Information is biased iff its structure, selection, or presentation systematically distorts or skews the representation of reality in ways that reduce objectivity, fairness, or accuracy.

Bias in Measurement

What it is: Systematic error in measurement, where an instrument consistently over- or under-reports relative to the true value.
Effect: Produces data that is predictably inaccurate.
Example: A thermometer that always reads 2% too low, or a scale that adds 1 lb to every measurement.

Bias (in General)

Bias = systematic deviation from accuracy, fairness, or objectivity in representing reality — whether through information, human judgment, or measurement tools.

Bias is a systematic tendency to make and hold onto flawed decisions rather than choices based on evidence, facts, and sound reasoning.

Bias involves both thinking and communication

Biased information is presented in a way that is unjustified, misleading, or unfairly favors or disfavors a particular entity, perspective, or outcome.

Analysis (Breakdown)

“systematic tendency”: This highlights that bias isn’t random. It’s a consistent pattern, not a one-off error.
“favor or oppose something”: This covers both positive and negative biases. It’s not just about disliking something; it’s also about unfairly favoring it.
Suboptimal Choices: Bias affects our decisions and conclusions and leads to choices that do not provide us with the most benefits.

In essence, bias is a deviation from objectivity, driven by predispositions rather than evidence. It involves jumping to conclusions in ways that often don’t serve us well.

Rationale

Here are some reasons why being skilled with bias is worthwhile.

Avoid being misled by information; instead, get an accurate view of reality.
Often bias is an indicator that factual information is wrong or misleading.
Lessen bias in your own messaging. This makes you more trustworthy and persuasive. You avoid presenting information that is unjustified, unfair, or misleading. That is, you avoid manipulating.

Recognizing Bias (How To)

Principles

Bias is prevalent.
Bias is sometimes acceptable. For example, we expect most advertising to be biased.

Framework

1. Check for Unjustified Favor or Disfavor

• Does the information unfairly support or oppose a person, group, or idea?

• Are opposing viewpoints misrepresented or ignored?

2. Examine the Source

• Who created or published it? Do they have an agenda?

• Is the source known for objective reporting or advocacy?

3. Look for Emotional or Loaded Language

• Does it use sensational or manipulative wording?

• Example: “The brilliant leader” vs. “The corrupt politician”

• Does it appeal to fear, outrage, or loyalty rather than logic?

4. Identify Missing or Selective Evidence

• Are important facts omitted?

• Does it rely on one-sided anecdotes instead of data?

• Are statistics cherry-picked to support a viewpoint?

5. Compare Multiple Sources

• Do neutral or opposing sources tell a different story?

• Do fact-checkers confirm or contradict it?

6. Analyze Logical Fallacies

• Is there straw-manning (misrepresenting an opposing view)?

• Is it using false dilemmas (presenting only two extreme choices)?

• Does it rely on ad hominem attacks (attacking the source, not the argument)?

7. Consider Framing and Omission

• Does the headline match the article’s actual content?

• Is there a focus on negative or positive aspects without balance?

• Does it present context for events or quotes?

8. Check if the Bias is Justified

• Not all strong viewpoints are bad. Sometimes a perspective is reasonable based on strong evidence. Sometimes strong emotions are justified given the nature of the events being described.

• Ask: Is this bias supported by facts and reason, or is it misleading?