In the short TED Talk,"Beware Conflicts of Interest", psychologist Dan Ariely shares a couple personal stories in order to expand on the topic "conflict of interest". He explains that people have biases, intentions, and personal goals that, consciously or not, influences the outcomes of arguments, beliefs, and thoughts.
Ariely's talk had me thinking about perspective and how we can look at situations in ways that will open up more thought and ideas. I believe that if people try to tackle situations with an open mind, there will be less occurrences of your personal thoughts steering you away from the best outcome. Seeing problems through different perspectives will consistently keep you from having direct and biased thoughts, instead you would be giving yourself the opportunity to question your own arguments and assure that you truly believe in one side.
Conflicts of interest, by my definition, is when a person is in a position to choose from two options that both benefit something that they believe in or support. Ariely talks about how there is a difference between an option granting a person with personal gain and an option that supports what the person believes in. These conflicts of interest make it difficult to have an open mind because it is not always easy to know what you want. These influences are significant to your thought process and I think that once you acknowledge that you have the ability to see beyond your personal biases, you will be able to look at situations in a new light and it may help you in the long run.
I chose to listen to Dan Ariely's TED Talk because I have heard of this speaker before. His words truly inspires me and opens my mind to new ideas.
- Lucas Syyap
As you have stated in your blog posts, perspective is key. Having the influence of others opinions and guidance through their own biases may prove to benefit in personal decision making; it can aid in preventing a biased thoughts that ultimately dictate one's actions.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, biases are important; they contribute to the creation of an individual and their own personalities. In addition, they create a character for the person as well as their own opinions, creating diversity within humans and the way they act.
Personally, I am all for constructive criticism and the influence of others' biases to creating a better version of myself and my decision making; however, I believe that allowing others to make decisions for you is unhealthy. It ultimately takes away from a person's individuality as their opinions aren't their own.
I agree that taking multiple perspectives into account is completely necessary in reaching a more complete understanding of an issue. From a single point of view, ones perspective is extremely limited and almost always inadequate.
ReplyDeleteIn my own life, I always try to consider as many perspectives as possible whether I'm arguing or just thinking. While it can be difficult due to the complex nature of perspective as a general concept, I believe it is worth it in the end as it grants a better representation of the full picture.