The Challenge

Our cognitive bias is perhaps the hardest hurdle to overcome on the path to building a better world. If we wish to reach the tipping point and nurture our ethos towards good, it is vital that we are aware of these forces which permeate all human cultures.

The paradigm of “Us vs Them” is deeply embedded in our psyche and forms our social identity. And yet the global challenges of our time demand solutions that reach across this chasm. This conflicting reality can invoke strong feelings of cognitive dissonance in all of us.
To quiet this cognitive dissonance we tend to tap into confirmation bias, engage in protective or benevolent value alignment, and succumb to the pressures of conformity bias. In the process we tend to focus on the little challenges we can understand while shrinking back from the big ones we need a larger community to solve. And what makes this even more challenging is that all too often we let our emotions drive our behaviour.

the tipping point

US versus THEM and value alignment

cognitive dissonance

confirmation bias

conformity bias

emotions drive behaviour