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Bias

Do Doctors Really Discriminate Against The Overweight?

David Katz, M.D. | Posted 05.03.2013 | Healthy Living
David Katz, M.D.

Obesity bias needs to be fixed. We are most likely to fix it when standing on a solid bedrock of understanding it at its origins. We can then replace the crude and obsolete survival-related imperatives bestowed to us in our genes, with the better angels of our nature.

What's Wrong With This Cover?

Foz Meadows | Posted 04.04.2013 | Books
Foz Meadows

I'm not impressed with the near-universal acceptance of "chick lit" as a pejorative.

It's Complicated: The Psychology of 'Singlism'

Wray Herbert | Posted 03.10.2013 | Science
Wray Herbert

"Singlism" is indeed potent and double-edged. Because most people still do opt for marriage, this bias probably hurts more singles overall. But the intolerance that couple people feel is no less real or harmful.

Sexism vs. The Costa Prize

Foz Meadows | Posted 03.06.2013 | Books
Foz Meadows

If a female writer makes the claim that the literary establishment is predominantly male-centric on account of sexism, and your response is to claim that women are both inherently less interesting and worse writers than men, then congratulations! You are being sexist.

Sex Science: Repetition Is a Way to Keep From Being Fooled

Patricia Adair Gowaty | Posted 03.05.2013 | Science
Patricia Adair Gowaty

Could Bateman's influential conclusions about the lack of effect of mate number on reproductive success of mothers have been due to an undercount of the number of offspring mothers must have had? Our repetition proved that an unreliable method produced biased results.

Sex Science: 'The Best Part of 'Believe' Is the Lie" (Part 3)

Patricia Adair Gowaty | Posted 02.19.2013 | Science
Patricia Adair Gowaty

Why do we believe fictions in the face of facts? When do the scales fall from our eyes?

Sex Science: 'The Best Part of 'Believe' Is the Lie'

Patricia Adair Gowaty | Posted 02.09.2013 | Science
Patricia Adair Gowaty

In the dynamics of the sociology of science, there must be some payout for self-deceived true believers.

Campaign Finance -- Solved!

Jonathan Haber | Posted 02.04.2013 | Politics
Jonathan Haber

No one in his or her right mind would spend over a billion to win an election unless the value of victory was much higher than that, which in the case of winning the presidency includes influence over trillions in spending (not to mention the other extraordinary powers and perks of office).

Critical Thinking: How Long Does it Take?

Jonathan Haber | Posted 01.29.2013 | Home
Jonathan Haber

Far from being some form of esoteric knowledge, critical thinking turns out to be one of the more easy-to-learn and pragmatic skills available to all. Or at least all those willing to put in the reasonable amount of work needed to achieve success.

The Principle of Charity

Jonathan Haber | Posted 12.27.2012 | Politics
Jonathan Haber

Even if this election ends in a victory for the president, it's worth examining whether embracing our biases (and re-enforcing them by surrounding ourselves with people and media that confirm them) is ultimately good for us as individuals, party loyalists or citizens of the nation.

Bias Always Hurts the One You Love

Jonathan Haber | Posted 12.16.2012 | Home
Jonathan Haber

Before deciding that a campaign based on accusations of dishonesty must work, it might be worth checking your own biases at the door, at least long enough to ensure they are not leading you, your cause and your candidate over another cliff.

Observations Concerning Distinguishing Facts, Opinions, Lies, and Distortions

Brad Reid | Posted 12.10.2012 | Politics
Brad Reid

Mixing-up fact, opinion, lies, and distortions may seem to be a short-term path to business or political success, but in the long term the informational system will collapse.

NAACP Alleges Bias At Elite NYC High Schools

Reuters | Posted 11.26.2012 | Black Voices

* Complaint focuses on eight elite public schools * "All that matters is the test" By Jonathan Allen NEW ...

Wait, Aren't Most Latinos Maids, Gardeners, And Gangsters As Seen on TV?

Posted 09.12.2012 | Latino Voices

Large and surprising shares of non-Latino Americans embrace and fully believe a whole host of stereotypes that, in their minds, render the nation’s ...

Bias and Ice Cream

Jon Hotchkiss | Posted 11.07.2012 | Media
Jon Hotchkiss

Bias and difference of opinion are not the same. I think what conservatives have done is very intentionally confused these two ideas.

Spanked by an Insider

Warren Adler | Posted 11.04.2012 | Media
Warren Adler

I have been a consistent reader of the print edition of the New York Times since I was 13 years old. That is why I am gratified to see the Times ombudsman, Arthur S. Brisbane, in his swan song column finally state the obvious.

Just How Independent Are Independent Voters?

Sam Sommers | Posted 10.15.2012 | Politics
Sam Sommers

How might these unaffiliated and presumably more objective voters react to the nominee, controversy, statement, or gaffe? But who are these Independents? And just how independent are they anyway?

The Science of Compassion

James R. Doty, M.D. | Posted 10.03.2012 | Healthy Living
James R. Doty, M.D.

It is imperative that each of us try to garner insight into our prejudices. Awareness is the first step toward more compassionate decisions.

Leadership Lessons From Wal-Mart's Bribery Scandal

Dana Radcliffe | Posted 09.15.2012 | Business
Dana Radcliffe

This story of a deplorable leadership failure at one of the world's largest companies is a cautionary tale for corporate executives.

Wikipedia and the Hidden Deletionist Agenda

John Pavley | Posted 09.13.2012 | Technology
John Pavley

The Deletionist Wars on Wikipedia make visible the underlying culture wars that impact so many parts of our lives, our laws, our media and the way we think. Technology can't fix us. We have to fix ourselves.

Faith, Hope and Reason

Phillip A. Ortiz, Ph.D. | Posted 06.04.2012 | Science
Phillip A. Ortiz, Ph.D.

Why the laws of nature came to exist is an unknowable, but on the other hand how the laws of nature function is not only knowable but also important to know.

Accessorizing Hate

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 07.24.2012 | Politics
Sarah O'Leary

When we choose silence in the face of bigotry, we threaten the lifeblood of our Union. We've all experienced more than a few bigots in our lives. Th...

Racism Study Yields Big Surprise About Bias In Babies

Posted 05.04.2012 | Science

By: Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer Published: 05/04/2012 09:51 AM EDT on LiveScience Adults have more difficulty recognizing faces that ...

I'm Biased and So Are You

Eric Korpela | Posted 06.06.2012 | Science
Eric Korpela

Biases are very important to the sciences. That's primarily that you have to understand them in order to avoid or correct for them. The most famous bias is probably the "selection bias."

Journalists Participate in Democracy; Gannett Cowers

Dave Saldana | Posted 05.27.2012 | Media
Dave Saldana

Leaving aside the false, quaint conceit that journalists are neutral, Gannett has tacitly admitted that this action was motivated not by some high standard of journalism ethics, but by fear that some political bullies might call them biased.