Seeing is Political – January 24, 2021

 

Scripture: Jonah 3: 1-5, 10: Psalm 62:5-12

The next three biases look at the social-political dimensions of seeing: Conservative/Liberal bias: Conservatives and Liberals see the world differently. Liberals see through a “nurturing parent” window, and Conservatives see through a “strict father” window. Liberals value moral arguments based on justice and compassion; conservatives also place a high value on arguments based on purity, loyalty, authority, and tradition. Our brains like to see as our party sees, and we flock with those who see as we do. Consciousness bias: A person’s level of consciousness makes seeing some things possible and others impossible. Our brains see from a location. Competency bias: We are incompetent at knowing how incompetent or competent we are, so we may see less or more than we think. Our brains prefer to think of ourselves as above average. The story of Jonah helps us understand these biases; the psalmist grounds us in God.