The Challenge of Science Without Bias

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I find it fascinating how you give some very disturbing examples in the book of what's called a Qatarid syndrome where people confronted with extraordinary evidence that they're wrong will not change their mind. And so I started to realize that this whole concept of confirmation bias, of holding beliefs for psychological reasons is the metaphor that's arisen out of our belief in psychology's explanation for everything. But if it is the power of the unconscious, it's not at the psychological level, it's at the neuro-functional level.

Neurologist and author Robert Burton talks about his book, On Being Certain, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Burton explores our need for certainty and the challenge of being skeptical about what our brain tells us must be true. Where does what Burton calls "the feeling of knowing" come from? Why can memory lead us astray? Burton claims that our reaction to events emerges from competition among different parts of the brain operating below our level of awareness. The conversation includes a discussion of the experience of transcendence and the different ways humans come to that experience.