Human decision making.

The propensity for humans to deceive themselves and selectively regard information that only fortifies their preconceived notions is strong. Robert Trivers has done fascinating research in the area, but it turns out that that has been known for quite some time. According to Slate.com:

Francis Bacon wrote in Novum Organum (1620) that the "human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion (either as being the received opinion or as being agreeable to itself) draws all things else to support and agree with it."

Study after study has shown that people ignore information that contradicts their opinions, or at best they interpret it in ways favorable to their opinions. The problem is that the opinion-making process is vital to a strong democracy, despite our nature. In that light, I wish it were possible to hold back decisions until later in the game. In the run up to the second Iraq war, Bush probably made up his mind to invade very early on, and thus ignored contradictory evidence as it came in.

Disastrous consequences aside, I hope that I can foster the ability to hold off judgment as long as possible on important decisions so that I can let reason guide me, not some archaic home-team impulse. More on those instincts in some future post.