How to prevent being biased.

The whole world, through anyone's eyes, even the smartest, greatest, most intelligent philosophers, is filtered through a huge array for discriminating bias, over-emphasizing certain information and disregarding other information, distorting the truth FAR from reality.

How can one eliminate these as much as possible, to gain ultimate truth?

The first step I can see it to be aware of your own personal bias. In media, for example, you can be aware of the words they are using to describe a subject, the tone they set, the music they use, what info you know they have left in or over-dwelled on, etc (which all usually carry implied opinions), and try to ignore these and simply evaluate the subject itself.

However, this proves extremely difficult, since there are so many things that ATTEMPT to influence you, let alone your own personal bias.

So, how can we overcome these as much as possible...to gain the purest view of reality?

Me thinks you are biased towards biases.

So, how can we overcome these as much as possible...to gain the purest view of reality?

Develop significant arguments against your own viewpoint. Practice humility. Adopt the perspective that you are probably wrong about everything you believe, which allows one to hear the viewpoints of others as things of interest and not items of conflict or stupidity that must be corrected.

From a discussion forum like this one on philosophy I think personal bias is why confusion abounds on many threads. People are confusing the Opening Poster`s line of enquiry to their subjective bias and over generalising.
For bias from our own perspective it would be to use our critical thinking skill`s in our own preferences and to understand that our own bias thinking can change over time and with our experience`s, that which we think is proven true to us could change. Clarity and clarification are important, for it is in the asking and questioning of ourselves and others points of view and asking them why they think like they do, that we can discover if they are being unreasonable and bias, or we just thought they were because we were being unreasonable and bias. People have many reasons for being bias, not always to do with their own bias, they could use it politically to reach their goal then and when they reach their goal, change what they said was their bias political belief to their real objective. One more thing Bias isn`t to be assumed it is to be deduced. Meaning bias can be reasonable if it is deduced. Assumed bias is unreasonable.

Example of Reasoned bias:
My body react`s badly when I eat shellfish so therefore I am bias against eating shellfish because it is bad for me.

Example of Unreasonable bias:
I am told shellfish is bad for me and that if I eat it, I will have a bad physical reaction.

A probably better example would be when a jury is partial (using reasonable bias) toward a defendant by deducing all the reasoned evidence from both sides. They would act partial (bias) to the evidence before them given by the prosecution, if the prosecutions evidence convinces them more than the defendants evidence. The jury must only decide on the evidence before them. If the jury then gave a guilty verdict, (in favor of the prosecution) the judge could impartially decide in favor of issuing a lighter sentence. In his impartial opinion the crime of the defendant didn`t warrant the heftier sentence plead for by the prosecution.

OP Turtlespeaks can you explain what you mean by discriminatary bias? I discriminate and have bias toward street gangs, even if they are not doing anything suspicious I expect them to be up to no good because they routinely intimidate the individual passerby when they act up shouting swearing and throwing each other around and brandishing tree branches. I don`t think all discriminatary bias is to be changed we tolerate way too much in society. Discriminatary irrational bias toward someones looks or choices is still up to the individual discriminating so long as no crime is committed. I think you generally mean bad cases of bias.

Unreasoned bias and bad cases are hate driven propoganda that is constantly fixated on inciting hate toward a particular group or individual. Bullying, Isolating mentally and verbally and physically because someone doesn`t fit into the group, but then if evolution is correct, and we are just pack animals and have the group mentality. Then the down side is natural bias and bullies.

I think that the emotional value that we place on words has a large effect on bias.

Which is biased against Bob?
1 "Bob got caught taking too much Ibuprofen yesterday."
2 "Bob's a drug abusing criminal."

Both are true. He was arrested for abusing drugs, but a simple wording change has a dramatic affect on your first impression of Bob.

If someone were to make a language that had the meaning and value of every word set and enforced by teachers of that language, then I think we'd see a drop in bias.

I have more to say, but I don't want to be tl;dr.

So, how can we overcome these as much as possible...to gain the purest view of reality?

The only way not to be subjective is to not have a self in the matter. Look at the subject as if it doesn't concern you and never can. Guidelines would still need to be set, like if all life is valuable, so maybe it can't be done. Instead of writing and using any form of language, you could video tape all occurences. The only bias in a video (that is not edited) are the limits restricting the camera lens.

Here's a good way to cut through the bias that may be so strong as to prevent two people from having a productive discussion of their differing beliefs about something.

1. Carefully listen to each other's full argument.

2. Restate in their own words each other's arguments.

3. Obtain each other's satisfaction with the restated arguments, signifying that they understand one another.

4. Debate the issues.

This takes more time and work, but, when I have been thoughtful enough to try it, it has worked.

Are you fed up with your little gotcha routine? Do this and get somewhere.

In a person to person circumstance Dewey's approach(post #8 ) works well; as do Meleagar's remarks(post #3 ).

TurtleSpeaks, too has wise words to say in his op(post #1).

Me thinks you are biased towards biases.

...However.

How can one eliminate these[bias] as much as possible, to gain ultimate truth?

I take it that you mean objective truth(not from a person but from facts) when you say "ultimate" TurtleSpeaks. Facts speak for them selves, they do not have bias(though there can be error in how facts are obtained).

Bias begins when we make theories(and beyond) utilizing the facts. At a certain point we need a bias to make a decision about something. In some cases a bias is correct and "good" in that it leads us to more objective evidence.

I think that rather than eliminating bias we should cultivate it, its existence is inevitable after all. By cultivating an array if biases. We can uncover the most objective facts in this way; because if we are wrong or right, our pursuits(research: if you will) will show such(the facts speak for them selves) rather than spending our time time trying to eliminate bias, or name what bias a person has. Time can be better spent obtaining facts.

I think that rather than eliminating bias we should cultivate it, its existence is inevitable after all. By cultivating an array if biases. We can uncover the most objective facts in this way; because if we are wrong or right, our pursuits(research: if you will) will show such(the facts speak for them selves) rather than spending our time time trying to eliminate bias, or name what bias a person has. Time can be better spent obtaining facts.

Hi, wanabe. I understand you to be saying that being prejudiced about something will help one to judge that thing’s true worth.

Is that right?’

Dewey,
Being prejudiced will help obtain facts, relatively of course.

I would say prejudice is simply an algorithm for one to form a definition(among many). We can gather definitions in this way, and use the appropriate ones in accordance to a given situation.

A things true worth changes with respect to what we use this thing for. Yes, I suppose then that a cultivation of many biases would likely help one to asses a things true worth.

Perhaps I’m too biased to see the worth of what you say, but I think I'm just completely confused.

What about this idea of cultivating several biases to prevent any bias? Surely you don’t mean offsetting biases which I hope you agree would beimpossible to have at the same time. If, on the other hand, you mean compatible biases wouldn’t they simply add up to be a broadened bias – and what possible improvement in the assessment process would that produce?

Can you reconcile your theory with the Voir Dire process by which a judge or juror so much as just possibly biased is peremptorily removed from a trial or other judgement matter?

Dewey,
My suggestion is to accept as many biases as possible, even if contradictory. There is no imperative to use them all at once.

It may take a great deal of wisdom(or maybe none) to be able to accept things in a given context that may be completely contradictory but it is not impossible.

All paths eventually lead to some truth. It is in this spirit one should cultivate as many biases as they can tolerate.

In regards to legal systems, one would select the bias they feel appropriate. One knows what to say to stay(or be removed from) on a jury or stay as the judge for a certain case(though past biases may work against this person).

Bias is not a problem, it is a solution to a certain set of problems. People applying a bias out side of that set is a problem.

Ok, I’m ready to concede that some biases can be useful in making decisions. For instance, evolution has implanted in our brain the powerful bias in favor of our continued existence. Result: we really jump without furher thought to save endangered lives – luckily the right decision most of the time. But we also can, and often do, form cognition biases that are short-sighted and wrong and do harm when acted upon.

Go ahead. Cultivate your biases. But don’t forget, some of those nice-looking vegetables in your garden are Hemlock!