Logic Versus Prejudice

·      Why do sincere, intelligent people sometimes strongly disagree?

·      Why are some willing to fight and die for what they believe?

·      Why do racial and religious conflicts persist?

·      How do bias and prejudice develop?

It’s generally believed that the quintessential quality of the human mind is to think logically. But, the patterns that are embedded in our thinking warp our logic and it is almost impossible for anyone to be immune to bias.

Intelligent, rational, patriotic, reasonable people can disagree strongly, sometimes even violently, each insisting that the other side is unreasonable, unpatriotic, misguided – and even stupid.

On television, we witness sincere, intelligent, elected US Representatives and Senators openly abusing each other with rhetoric that pushes the limits of decency and decor. How is this possible? Are they sincere, or is it just a part of the role they are supposed to be playing?

Many people typically cannot give rational reasons for their convictions or biases other than,  “I believe this”. In trying to try to explain bias and beliefs, one must recognize that the reasons are often innate human constructs.

Individual & Group Reality

Human Constructs are the psychosocial construction of reality, the inherited knowledge, the teachings and the experience that establish our conscious and subconscious organization of the world. It includes meaning, motivation, education, media, emotion and thought processes.

Understanding, significance, and meaning are developed individually, but in coordination with others in our society. The elements most important are: (a) human beings rationalize their experience by creating a model of the social world and how it functions and, (b) language is the most essential system through which humans construct reality. ⁽¹⁾

People clearly have different views of the truth because every individual thinks using their own unique perspective. Primary constructs are embedded in the human brain from infancy – religion, culture, love (family and country). These are all linked to our place of birth and surroundings, where we grew up and how we are taught. It becomes part of who we are. These can, of course, be over-ridden and even eliminated through later education and experiences.

Morality is a human construct. It evolved as humans developed increasingly more complex social interaction. It is a tool that serves to help humans survive in a social environment.

Religion & Cultural Conflicts

Perhaps chief among human constructs is religion. It has been the most influential and also perhaps the most abusive, and it broadly continues to control and influence human relations. Religious beliefs are faith-based, not subject to any logical justification.

Organized religion is the attempt of humans to codify a particular interpretation of the communication with us of a presumed almighty being.  The way organized religion reacts to threats to its existence is just like any other human institution or human being. What organized religion needs to understand is their doctrines are just the feeble attempts of humans to understand the infinite. ⁽²⁾

Somehow, religious constructs seem to have allowed and motivated humans to exercise total control and abuse over other humans over many centuries. And even today, war is declared over religious differences. And horrifying slaughter is committed in the name of religion.

Genetic Predisposition

Humans have always considered it important to develop and maintain a cultural identity that aggressively defends against influences that can change or replace them.  Some think that the best explanation for these behaviors and constructs is genetic factors – genetic hard-wired patterns in the brain.

History demonstrates clear patterns for this behavior. The victor typically enforces cultural and religious changes on the vanquished. And the conquered typically emulate the customs and beliefs of presumed superiors.

Closed societies demonstrate prejudice, bias and ethnocentrism as means to safeguard the conformity of their cultures. Interbreeding with different cultures leads to genetic dilution and loss of cultural traits. ⁽³⁾

Racial Prejudice

In a multicultural, multi-racial, multi-religious society, bias (example “racial profiling”) comes from an individual’s family (perhaps several generations), and upbringing (school, church, community, country).

In America today, many dissimilar cultures and races have co-mingled and it is not acceptable to be openly prejudiced. Politicians and others in the public eye cannot simply stop being prejudiced; they merely pretend that they’re not. It’s been estimated that some 48% of Americans are still prejudiced against blacks. ⁽⁴⁾

Many Americans deny that racism still exists in this country. It is incomprehensible to some white Americans that their president would openly identify with black people, despite the fact that he himself is black.  Consider this: How much of anti-Obama rhetoric is fueled by prejudice, as opposed to genuine objections? How much is real patriotism versus illogical bias? ⁽⁵⁾

One intelligent and sincere friend from the Deep South told me, "I was born and brought up to believe that Blacks were the next best thing to vermin. Now I have to over-ride my own embedded thinking."

Clearly good, thoughtful people can be motivated to over-ride culturally developed bigotry. It’s very difficult, but prejudice can indeed be overridden. It needs great objectivity, intelligence and determination to overcome one’s own embedded constructs.⁽⁶⁾

It’s interesting to note that perhaps the last remaining overt prejudice in America is against obesity; grossly overweight people are often openly ridiculed.

Repetition Manipulates Truth

Any action that is repeated regularly becomes a habit. And habits can become bias and prejudice.  This is why advertising is repeated over and over and over, so that the viewer accepts that the message as true and it eventually becomes a construct, perhaps even a prejudice.

Political advertising generates biased viewpoints. People can begin to believe grossly partisan “facts” that may be significantly against their own interests. Wealthy individuals and organizations spend enormous amounts to promote their messages, giving credibility to even outrageously prejudiced opinions. This is why spending on advertising for US presidential elections keeps increasing. It has become a TV bonanza.⁽⁷⁾

Conclusion

Modern societies run on the premise that everything must be logical. But that’s not a valid presumption. This article has brought up many examples of widespread, illogical behaviors. Hopefully, this provided some understanding, though it offered no solutions for human constructs that are often prejudiced.

Over the millennia, theories of human behaviors and constructs have belonged more in the realms of metaphysics and philosophical discussions. ⁽⁸⁾

References:

1. Wikipedia – Social Constructionism: http://goo.gl/suWuVw
2. Religion Is a Human Construct: http://goo.gl/p6K95n
3. Genetic Determinism & Prejudice: http://goo.gl/WbQNpP
4. AP poll: U.S. majority have prejudice against blacks: http://goo.gl/ulNY1g
5. Race & Prejudice in America Today: http://goo.gl/5Zxz7O
6. Studies Find Rational Part of Brain Can Override Prejudice: http://goo.gl/aHGTdf
7. Wikipedia – Media Manipulation: http://goo.gl/E0ByOF
8. Logic – Its Laws, Premises and Limitations: http://goo.gl/A7OZzN

Jim Pinto
16 September 2014