When you go with your gut, the trees obscure the forest.
It’s been a rough couple of decades for rational thinking. I doubt that future historians will view our current time as a second Age of Reason. I’m not being hipsterishly pessimistic here by proclaiming that the sky of civilization is falling; I’m merely pointing out that Americans used to work hard to be informed so they could reach rational conclusions about political and social issues. But no longer, it seems.
Here’s what I mean:
In New Jersey, it’s against the law to pump your own gas. There are no self-service pumps. Despite various studies that conclude that gas prices would drop as much as 8 cents per gallon, New Jersey citizens have fiercely fought back against any effort to repeal this archaic 1949 law. That’s why all New Jersey politicians eventually abandon any support for self-service pumps.
Why do New Jerseyans persist in this seemingly irrational behavior, which actually costs them money?
The arguments for the ban include the following: The price of gas in New Jersey is already among the lowest in the country, so what’s a few cents more? Pump attendants would be put out of work. Physically challenged motorists aren’t able to pump gas themselves. It’s dangerous for motorists to operate gas pumps.
There are reasoned responses to each of those objections. The millions of people who pump their own gas in the 48 states that allow self-service pumps (Oregon also bans them), for instance, belie New Jersey’s worries about the ability of its citizens to safely operate a pump.
There’s no logical reason to maintain this tradition – any more than there is to keep washing our clothes on rocks by the river or having the barber bleed us when we’re feeling a bit ill.
Yet as much as we may shake our heads at the lack of reasoning here, we also have to marvel at the genius level of brainwashing that got New Jersey to this point. In his article “The Real Reason Self-Service Gas Was Banned in NJ: Corruption,” Star-Ledger reporter Paul Mulshine concludes that the 1949 Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, which purportedly protected citizens from the complexities of pumping gas, was really an attempt by gas station owners to stop a competitor, Irving Reingold, who had opened several gas stations that featured self-service pumps and therefore lower prices. Motorists “lined up for blocks” for the cheaper gas. After the restrictive law passed, Reingold sold his gas stations. Mission accomplished.
This discussion isn’t about New Jersey or the joys of pumping your own gas. It’s about making rational decisions, which should be a straightforward process: Gather as much information as possible, check to make sure the sources of the information aren’t biased, study the informed opinions of smart people on all sides of the issue, then form an opinion. Unfortunately, many people complain that this is just too much work.
Scientific evidence shows that rational thinking doesn’t come naturally to people. We have to struggle to overcome built-in defenses in our brains that reject logic like antibodies attacking a deadly virus. A 2004 study at Emory University used brain scans to demonstrate that when people are presented with evidence that contradicts their political view and instantly dismiss it without any consideration, their brains show the same rewards activity that addicts’ do when they get a fix. In other words, by not even considering evidence that goes against our opinions, we may make ourselves happier.
Other studies have reached the same dismal conclusions, including one from Dartmouth in 2014, which focused on families with young children. Researchers sent each family one of four sources of information: a leaflet on the dangers of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) that are preventable with the vaccine; a leaflet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that there is no evidence linking the MMR vaccine and autism; a story from the CDC about an infant who almost died from measles; and photos of children showing the physical effects of the diseases. The impact of all this information on the parents’ views? None. The facts had no effect on their decision whether to vaccinate their children. In fact, among parents who most opposed the vaccine before the study, the information made them more resolved not to vaccinate. This kind of fuzzy thinking can be deadly to their children, as well as to other children who may be exposed to a disease carried by their unvaccinated peers. Since January – the month an outbreak of measles occurred at Disneyland – the United States has seen 170 cases of the formerly well-controlled disease.
In their new book, Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter, authors Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie examine how groups’ way of interacting affects their thinking. When a group of right-wing people enter into a discussion together, the entire group tends to become more right wing. When a left-wing group works exclusively together, they all become more left wing. Biases are reinforced rather than challenged.
Having beliefs based on fuzzy logic is like having massive bicep implants so it looks like you work out even though you don’t. The reason people admire sculpted muscles is that working out is the result of discipline and dedication. Having an implanted opinion that one can’t explain beyond clichés is no opinion at all.
Logical thinking is not our default setting. Ignorant, biased gut feelings based on tradition or social pressures are our go-to reaction. But each of us has a duty to our community and country and world not to let our personal biases rule our behavior. Otherwise, we are prisoners of those biases, pretending we are making free choices. Schools must emphasize critical thinking rather than the mere accumulation of facts. Students must learn to question sources of information and to form opinions based on reasoning and not fuzzy logic. Right now, that’s the best hope for America’s future.
Well – that and this article. — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar