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Cognitive Biases

By Michael Alan Prestwood

Sat 1 Jun 2024
Published 2 years ago.
Updated 1 week ago.
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Cognitive bias: the mind’s attempt to simplify complexity can quietly distort perception. Without discipline, shortcuts become traps — shaping decisions, inflating certainty, and steering judgment away from reality.

Cognitive Biases

Maya, Illusion.

30 Philosophers, Chapter 14, Badarayana, Touchstone 37: Cognitive Biases. 

Cognitive biases are systematic distortions in judgment that arise when the mind simplifies complexity. They are not signs of stupidity; they are shortcuts that once helped survival but now often mislead reasoning. Identified and formalized in modern psychology, cognitive biases reveal predictable patterns in human error.

Within the TST Framework, cognitive biases are classified as one of the Four Mind Traps — mental tendencies that distort perception and inflate confidence. The other traps are stereotypes, logical fallacies, and heuristics. Recognizing bias is not about self-condemnation; it is about disciplined calibration.

— map / TST —

Michael Alan Prestwood
Author & Natural Philosopher
Prestwood writes on science-first philosophy, with particular attention to the convergence of disciplines. Drawing on his TST Framework, his work emphasizes rational inquiry grounded in empirical observation while engaging questions at the edges of established knowledge. With TouchstoneTruth positioned as a living touchstone, this work aims to contribute reliable, evolving analysis in an emerging AI era where the credibility of information is increasingly contested.
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»COLUMN ARCHIVE
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Column Research….
1. Timeline Story
The famous Lewis “Truth in Fiction” Paper
2. Linked Quote
“Truth is stranger than fiction…[which] is obliged to stick to possibilities;”
3. Science FAQ »
Why does fiction feel real?
4. Philosophy FAQ »
Can authors create fiction beyond our universe?
5. Critical Thinking FAQ »
How do we know what is true in a fictional world?
6. History FAQ!
What is the history of philosophy of fiction?
Bonus Deep-Dive Article
TST Philosophy of Fiction: Imaginative Realism

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