Op Ed: On Critical Thinking and Bias

The topic of prejudice has come across the radar of late – on several fronts at once. Funny how that happens.

Within Horn Matters, John has touched on this topic in “Prejudice and Bias in the Horn World.” [P.M. UPDATE: for a related article of my own (with a touch of humor) see Tuh-may-toe Toe-mah-toh ]

Related to this, my wife is currently enrolled in a class on racial diversity. Here is short excerpt from a paper she wrote for this class.

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Most people will not admit that they are prejudice.

A few may actually be proud of it, but in general we want to think that we are fair and impartial to others; that we are good, kind and just.  To admit prejudice and bias is to admit that maybe we are not as good as we think and to let in this possibility can really wreak havoc on our sense of self.

But if we put our ego and fear aside, we might not have to dig too deep to find the roots of prejudicial thought; and by admitting it, we may have a chance to overcome it.

Prejudice is an error of cognition.  We process inaccurate information as fact; first over-generalizing and then attributing negative feelings, beliefs and attitudes to the person(s) in our site.

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Prejudice is an error of cognition.

In terms of musicians and music critics who mindlessly adopt biased, negative beliefs towards certain schools of playing or particular players, this statement is a direct hit at the root of the issue.

Wachet auf!

Wholesale acceptance of prejudice at face value – plain and simple – is lazy thinking; it lacks imagination. We should strive to do better, after all as musicians we are hip-deep in the business of imagination.

Be wary and critical, even vigilant when appropriate, of lazy thinking. Adopting a biased viewpoint simply because it generates social electricity does not necessarily make that belief lasting or genuine – to yourself or to the outside world.

It might very well be an error in judgment: a shallow illusion clouded by peer pressure, the desire to fit into a clique or some other external influence, or perhaps even a deep-seeded issue related to something bygone.

While in politics we like our leaders to be bold, decisive and absolute, in real life there is absolutely nothing wrong or wishy-washy about exploring beliefs, reserving judgment and even perhaps, changing your mind.

Strive to be open-minded; think deeply about biases. There may be something profound and life-changing waiting in that exploration.