Re: [ontolog-forum] Motivated Cognition

["Christopher Spottiswoode" <cms@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rich,

Thanks for the pointer.  The point, even though more than somewhat clichéd, bears being made time and again.

It can be made in many ways, as the general phenomenon is well known.  As reader "James in NJ" remarks rather relevantly:

Question: Granting that I could be entirely missing the point, don’t we already have a word for the phenomenon of “motivated cognition”; namely “prejudice”? If not, how is motivated cognition different?

To take another angle, the phenomenon underscores Popper's call for refutability.

The lack of refutability of ideological positions is nicely highlighted by the recently-quoted position of the adept who narrowly escaped being one of tens if not hundreds of faithful killed in the collapse of a church's hostel in Nigeria.  Far from the deaths illustrating the theological Problem of Evil, the escape of many others allegedly proves God's beneficence.  And no repeating of Voltaire's comments after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake has driven his point home to those who need it most.

Further, it seems to me that we self-styled ontologists need to build more on the general phenomenon Rich has usefully recalled to our attention.

Christopher

-----Original Message-----
From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rich Cooper
Sent: 21 September 2014 03:32
To: '[ontolog-forum] '
Subject: [ontolog-forum] Motivated Cognition

Ontologizers all,

Here is a short article on "motivated cognition", by which the author designates the use of goal seeking (presumably self-seeking):

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2011/05/05/what-is-motivated-reasoning-how-does-it-work-dan-kahan-answers/#.VB4FwRaTFKA

The interesting fact to me here is that everyone seeks self-interest, partially consciously, partly unconsciously, which includes belonging to some group's membership on mailing lists like this one (;-|).  Opinions differ, and therefore ontology preferences differ, because of our individuality.

-Rich

Sincerely,

Rich Cooper

EnglishLogicKernel.com

Rich AT EnglishLogicKernel DOT com

9 4 9 \ 5 2 5 - 5 7 1 2

 

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