Do you wish there's a god?

[fredd bear]

The role of cognitive bias in shaping our morality seems to be missing from this discussion. It is sort of covered by 'false beliefs'. But it is cognitive biases that make us so susceptible to false beliefs. I have been pretty fascinated by how cognitive biases evolved in humanity, right along with morality. Cognitive bias can cause us to completely violate our morality while firmly believing that our morality is completely not compromised. Even if the compromise is pointed out to us, we frequently still can't see it. Entire societies are probably operating under the influence of cognitive bias all the time. But some truly toxic cognitive biases sweep through societies from time to time with atrocious results.

But for what possible reason did we evolve cognitive biases? They must help humanity to survive more than harm it. I guess 'morality' helps us cooperate, and cognitive bias maintains competitive tension between possibly competitive social groups. It allows us to cast aside our morality without feeling that we've compromised our morality. Very useful. Very dangerous.

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"But some truly toxic cognitive biases sweep through societies from time to time with atrocious results."


Or as I like to call it 'bigotry'

Right now there  are 2 connected cognitive biases in my country, the first of which can certainly be seen in US and Uk, at least. 

The  broader one is what seems to me to be an hysterical anti Islamic bigotry. Close to home too: a certain dickhead here (who I am ignoring)  accused me of being brain washed because I disagree with what I see as his bigotry based on ignorance.  I think my position is informed, based on a combination of the experience of living in a Muslim country and formal study at university.
 
Specific to Oz;  Both major political parties have the policy of detaining refugees who arrive uninvited by boat in offshore detention camps.
Ignoring the fact that it is not an offence to simply arrive at a country's border and ask for refuge. Human right's watch dogs agree; Australia is in breech of the Human Rights Convention we signed, and we have been criticised by amnesty international
 for this practice. The Oz government has ignored all criticism.

In the meantime, both major political parties and apparently the majority of Aussies, think the present policy is just fucking dandy!

Ah; the numbers involved; there are currently about one thousand people in detention 1000. I'm not sure of the highest number at any one time, but capacity suggest around the same figure. People have been held in such centres for years.

Are those the kind of things you meant by 'toxic cognitive biases"?

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context:

PERTH, Australia – When Iranian-Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani received the Victorian Prize in January, he did more than receive Australia's highest honor in literature. Unable to attend because of his internment at a detention center on Papua New Guinea, the award to Boochani renewed international attention on Australia's policies for people seeking asylum.
Boochani's prize-winning book, "No Friends but the Mountains: Writing From Manus Prison," details his experiences at the remote Pacific camp on Manus Island, a territory belonging to Papua New Guinea and where he has been held since 2013. He typed out the book in his mobile phone in Farsi, and used the What'sApp messaging platform to transmit a chapter at a time to a translator in Australia.
Australia has taken a hard line on asylum-seekers who arrive by boat, settling them offshore on Manus and on the Micronesian island nation of Nauru, vowing they will never enter Australia. Canberra runs these and five other on-shore detention centers for refugees who arrive by other means.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countri...l-election