Today we examine Confirmation Bias through the lens of the 2020 Election.  Wide Scale fraud has been claimed and we look into whether data and facts support such a claim or if wide scale Confirmation Bias is the problem. RESOURCES: https://time.com/5908505/trump-lawsuits-biden-wins/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/voting-fraud.html https://www.snopes.com/collections/post-election-collection-snopes/ https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/federal-judge-blocks-another-attempt-to-stop-use-of-signature-verification-machine-in-clark-county-slow-count-of-mail-ballots? https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/michigan-judge-rejects-gop-attempt-to-halt-ballot-counting-in-detroit-citing-no-evidence-of-wrongdoing/? https://www.michigan.gov/documents/ag/20201106_Opin_and_Ord_707156_7.pdf? https://www.factcheck.org/issue/voter-fraud/ https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/trump-campaign-georgia-dead-voters-fact-check/index.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/05/fact-check-false-claims-voting-election-day-fraud-ballots/6171993002/ NOTE: Mormon Discussion Inc.  Does not… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 014: Election 2020 Trump, Biden, and Confirmation Bias

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we dive into what is Dogma and why Dogma is bad? and specifically how unhealthy systems distance their dogma from criticism and how the mechanisms play out.  HEqFG3xEDNrB5xCk6j0N Resources:Youtube Video of Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson Part 1 Youtube Video of Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson Part 2 Quotes… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 013: Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and the Damage of Dogma

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we discuss Elevation Emotion which is the idea that Elevation is an emotion elicited by witnessing virtuous acts of remarkable moral goodness. It is experienced as a distinct feeling of warmth and expansion that is accompanied by appreciation and affection for the individual whose exceptional conduct is being observed.… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 012: Elevation Emotion

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we discuss Gaslighting. What it is, where it originates and how it is a deeply unethical mechanism that institutions use to shield themselves from accountability.  We then use Mormonism as an example and run through 4 major issues wherein Mormonism uses Gaslighting.  We use the article “Mormons, you aren’t… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 011: Gaslighting

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast, We explore the Institutional mechanism of “Tattle Telling”.  We explore both the Formal mechanisms as well as the informal.  How High Demand Fundamentalist Religions incorporate ideas such as the internet being bad, that questions are good but doubts are bad, and how cultures of reporting people for discrediting the… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 010: Tattle Tellers, Narcs, and Snitches

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast, Host Bill Reel tackles the religious mechanism of faith leaders discouraging research into their faiths claims and history from outside sources.  Whether that is asking a church member to not trust the internet, not trust unauthorized sources, or even asking them to disassociate from friends and family who ask… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 009: Doubt and the Internet

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we dive into the idea of the “Illusory Effect” which is the idea that the more we repeat, hear, or recall information the more we believe what it is that is being taught.  We show how this psychological phenomenon is a tool that religions utilize in getting people to… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 008: Testimony Gained In The Bearing Of It

Mormon Discussion Podcasts 2017 Holiday Special.  Several Hosts from our various programs have put together a Holiday Special simply sharing a Christmas thought and wishing you a Merry Christmas and an incredible Holiday Season.  Wendy Perry from the Mormon Wellness Project put this together with a little help from Skyler from the Mormon History Podcast,… Read More »Mormon Discussion Podcasts: Holiday Special 2017

Today we talk about the religious mechanism of doublespeak.  The idea that a religious institution benefits from seeming holding multiple contradictory perspectives at the same time.  That by having multiple contradictory messages simultaneously you maintain deniable plausibility on the problematic nature of any one issue perspective. Elder Christofferson’s talk that included Amish and Mormon Shunning

Today on the Cognitive Dissidents Podcast we talk about when it is a good time to get out of the boat.  Using Mathew chapter 14 from the new testament as our backdrop we talk about why churches or religious institutions are useful and what purpose they serve and then turn our time to understanding that… Read More »Cognitive Dissidents: 006: Getting Out of The Boat and Walking On Water