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End Notes: To Bias or Not to be Biased
1 OBSERVATIONS
Observation To Bias or Not to be Biased.
The flexibility and plasticity of the human brain arise from the vast number of neurons and the density and adaptability of their connections. This is roughly analogous to putting more transistors on a computer chip, shrinking it, and then adding more chips.
In Looking Back in Time, and specifically the cheat sheet Earth History Data, the time required for the human brain to evolve was considered short compared to the spine. Unlike the spine, which evolved through structural specialisation, the brain’s growth relied on multiplying and interconnecting similar neuron types—scaling complexity through connectivity rather than diversity, and adapting the skull to accommodate the expansion.
A major evolutionary advance was the expansion of the prefrontal cortex, enhancing rational thought, cognitive control, and the suppression of impulsive responses. Functional MRI (fMRI) allows researchers to visualise localised changes in blood oxygenation (the BOLD signal) as a proxy for neural activity during specific thought processes. Despite individual differences, patterns of activation are remarkably consistent across people.
With this shared architecture in mind, we can better understand how the same term—bias—takes on very different meanings in science, engineering, and human judgement.
Observation: Prejudice in Bias as a Term
The understanding of the definition of bias seems universal.
Duden defines “Bias” as follows in German:
- durch falsche Untersuchungsmethoden (z. B. Suggestivfragen) verursachte Verzerrung des Ergebnisses einer Repräsentativerhebung
- durch Voreingenommenheit verzerrte Wahrnehmung oder Einschätzung
(Herkunft: English bias = Vorurteil, zu Französisch biais = schief; schräg)
Applying Google Translate yields:
- Distortion of the result of a representative survey caused by incorrect investigation methods (e.g., leading questions)
- Perception or assessment distorted by prejudice
(Origin: English bias = prejudice, from French biais = oblique; slant)
This is a reasonable translation, except that the German words schief and schräg in this context mean skewed or misaligned.
These definitions demonstrate the misunderstanding that often arises when the word bias is applied to engineering and AI contexts. In technical systems, bias is a parameter, offset, or prior weighting deliberately introduced to guide outputs when data are incomplete or uncertain.
A simple example of mechanical bias is found in a set of kitchen scales with a sliding counterweight.
The counterweight moves along a beam to balance the object being weighed.
When the beam levels, the position of the counterweight indicates the object’s weight.
The scales work on the principle of leverage — the same principle that allows a light person to counterbalance a heavier person on a seesaw. The lighter person must sit farther from the pivot point for the seesaw to balance.
In the same way, the calibration of the scales ensures that each counterweight position corresponds precisely to a given weight.
It is important to note that the weight of the object and the counterweight are not the same; their moments about the pivot are equal. By changing the counterweight’s position, we are adjusting the bias of the system.
At the beginning of the beam (closer to the pivot), the scale is more sensitive — suitable for lighter objects. Moving the counterweight outward changes the leverage and allows heavier objects to be measured.
In Relativity and Reaction, the word bias is applied in this engineering sense. The workings of abstract skills like pattern recognition and abstract senses require correction methods for them to function efficiently. The technical concept of bias was introduced in the nerd cheat sheet Pattern Recognition from the chapter System Bias as a Concept & Climbing the Stairs as a tool to clarify how pattern recognition works.
Observation: Bias and Emotion
The cheat sheet Development of the Mind explores how skill, abstract senses, and our values develop. They function together to provide context that helps us understand the outside world.
Abstract senses route signals back to the limbic system, mimicking the ability of physical senses to influence mood. Additionally, the cortex overlays this mood with emotion, adding context to the current situation based on similar experiences from the past.
Observation: A Personal Experience
The situation of “A Personal Experience” in the chapter Abstract Feelings and Abstract Senses is not uncommon. The topic might not be cars—it could be the best restaurant in town or the preferred political party. Each has the potential to become a heated point of debate or, worse still, an argument.
These values shape how we see the real world through filters and compensations that individualise our personal models of it.
2. CONSEQUENCES
Consequences Drawn: To Bias or Not to be Biased
The cognitive biases identified in behavioural economics appear with statistically consistent frequencies across populations, though their expression varies by situation and by individual.
While the overall cortical architecture is shared among humans, fine-grained connectivity patterns and learned associations differ by experience, creating personal bias profiles. The underlying structure of the brain, shaped by DNA, promotes a degree of similarity in the way we think and the connections we make. This shared architecture, optimised for speed and efficiency, forms the foundation for universal cognitive biases.
Just as a leopard’s unique pattern slightly alters how it’s perceived by others, individual variations in thought and experience alter how each of us interprets the same reality.
Taking as set of kitchen scales as an analogy, sliding counterweight keeps the scale in balance, the human mind relies on its own cognitive counterweights to stabilise judgment when information is uncertain.
These internal biases help the brain reach workable conclusions without having to recalculate every variable from first principles. They save time and energy — essential in a complex environment — but they also tilt perception. If the counterweight in a mechanical scale is slightly off, every measurement that follows will carry the same error.
Likewise, a mental bias that has shifted through habit, fear, or social influence will consistently pull thought and emotion toward a preferred position. Recognising that bias is adjustable, not fixed, is the first step toward recalibrating how we judge, decide, and react.
Looking at bias in population-level studies often overlooks the personal consequences of how an individual adapts their approach to bias—and how this directly affects those closest to them. Recognising that bias exists is only part of the problem; understanding its root causes is key, and addressing them brings real resolution.
Consequences Drawn: Prejudice in Bias as a Term
To identify objects (patterns) requires processing raw data from our physical senses. A direct line of sight to an object of interest may not always be available, so interpretation is required—and this is where bias, in the engineering sense, is applied.
The Penrose stairs demonstrate reproducible perceptual errors—an example of how the brain’s adaptive shortcuts can also mislead.
In perspective, such inherent fallacies have not had a significant impact on human survival. Reconciling and compensating for them is a reasonable approach, though the quality of results will not be good under all conditions.
Considering optical illusions, the traditional definition of bias could be applied to say that the abstract skill of pattern recognition is biased with respect to optical illusions. What this fails to grasp is that the same mechanisms of manipulation of raw data yield both the good and the bad results. Without such manipulation, humans would not have developed the perceptual capabilities we rely on today.
Consequences Drawn: Bias and Emotion
Much of what we do runs on autopilot for much of our conscious lives.
If direction, altitude, and speed vary only slightly around their desired values, a plane can fly on autopilot until the fuel runs out. The boundaries around these parameters, which define flight stability, are analogous to the values we use to gauge whether life is running comfortably and safely around us.
If the aircraft begins to drift, the autopilot can adjust engines and control surfaces to restore balance. But when deviations grow severe, it sounds an alarm—signalling the pilot to take manual control.
Something similar happens in our brains as the limits of our values are reached. The abstract senses signal the limbic system, setting the appropriate mood, and emotion follows. Body and mind are prepared for action.
The circumstance could be as trivial as realising that a meeting is boring and fighting to stay awake, or as terrifying as a child running into the road while driving. Both demand action—the difference lies in the consequences. (And falling asleep in front of the chairman is not to be taken lightly.) Both situations require pattern recognition to observe and interpret what is happening.
This emotional signalling system can both safeguard and distort our judgement—forming the emotional roots of cognitive bias.
Consequence Drawn: A Personal Experience
The example of A Personal Experience in Abstract Feelings and Abstract Senses illustrates the challenge of choosing the right action for a given situation.
It centres on the poor choice of only reading car reviews that favoured the VW Corrado—a textbook case of confirmation bias. The origin of my values in this topic came from experience and interpretation. The basis of this bias was a very happy relationship with VW and its products. Overcompensating for those values made anything that challenged them feel like a threat to my integrity.
When our values are challenged, our reactions can follow poor strategies. Two examples from the “Corrado” scenario include:
- Straw Man
Countering with a claim that the car has four seats and ample luggage space, suggesting practicality. This manipulative tactic confuses the issue and carries a Machiavellian tilt—it avoids genuine debate until the counterpart gives up. - Ad Hominem / Source Bias
Dismissing criticism by attacking the critic—for example, claiming that because of the colleague’s own car choice, they are unqualified to comment. This “shoot the messenger” approach avoids the issue entirely and is emotionally detached or callous in tone.
As a side note: if you feel defensive when challenged, others may notice—and some may push your buttons deliberately. This is the start of a slippery slope into other cognitive biases used to protect a value.
The purpose here is to show how we can arrive at poor decisions when we stop focusing on the rational objective. Such fallacies occur when we become hooked by an opinion and avoid the discomfort of reassessing it.
Yet these mechanisms are not all bad. They serve us well when quick actions are required and work best when our values are reasonable—helping someone across the street or chasing after a person who has dropped something. Such responses require recognition of the situation, which is an abstract sense in action.
In the modern world, the rules are more complex than they once were:
- Hierarchy: Who leads, who follows—and why.
- Possession: Who owns what—and how ownership is recognised.
- Security: How the group protects or threatens individuals.
- Ritual: What customs and signals keep the system stable.
We form values and opinions around all of these, and sometimes the “fast” response is not the most efficient or least painful. The effort to recognise a situation before acting remains the essential skill of our time. This is why the framework of Observation, Consequence, and Action arises so naturally.
3. ACTION
The mechanisms of our thinking and development are far from broken. By targeting our thinking and understanding more precisely, we can intervene more effectively when it matters.
The topic A Personal Experience exhibits the Duden definition of bias. If a person’s tolerance is simply a positive bias, then the word bias only describes half the story. The underlying mechanism is not the cause of poor judgement—it can lead to both good and bad outcomes. This is a strong hint that we should keep our values under continuous review.
Finally, if you want something—and it is reasonable for the people involved to tolerate it—then it is perfectly fine to feel comfortable about having it. This balance between rationality, guilt, and selflessness is easier said than achieved. Ideally, it should mean that if you have worked for something, it is also OK to have it.
📖 Series Roadmap
- Forward: A Little Background
- Introduction: Action, Reaction, and the Human Paradox (16.09.2025)
- Looking Back in Time: The Development of the Human Brain (23.09.2025)
- Abstract Senses: Enhancing the way we see the world outside (30.09.2025)
- Bias as a Concept & Climbing the Stairs: Pattern Recognition & Everyday Tasks (07.10.2025)
- Abstract Feelings and Abstract Senses (14.10.2025)
- Motivation (04.11.2025)
- The Social Knowledge Base (11.11.2025)
- Potential (18.11.2025)
- The Subliminal Way We Go Through Life (26.11.2025)
- Taking Responsibility (02.12.2025)
- Fishing for Complements (22.12.2025)
- Peter and Fermi (22.12.2025)
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End Notes: To Bias or Not to be Biased
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