Bias
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In theory, bias is a term used to describe a preference to a particular perspective or ideology, which means all information and point of views has some form of bias. A person is generally said to be biased if the person's output is influenced by inner biases, to the extent that one's views is not subjectively considered neutral or objective.
Systematic bias
A systematic bias is a bias resulting from a flaw integral to the system within which the bias arises (for example, an incorrectly calibrated thermostat may consistently read — that is 'be biased' — several degrees hotter or colder than actual temperature). As a consequence, systematic bias commonly leads to systematic errors, as opposed to random errors, which tend to cancel one another out.
In practice
In practice, accusations of bias often result from a perception of unacknowledged favouritism on the part of a critic or judge, or indeed any person in a position requiring the careful and disinterested exercise of arbitration or assessment. Any tendency to favour a certain set of values naturally leads to an uneven dispensation of judgment. It may also be noted that, if a person were to take their own preexisting view as a priori balanced without acknowledging their own personal inclinations, any person or organization that disagrees with their views is likely to be viewed as biased regardless of that person or organization's actual efforts at balance. It may be observed that bias is, in a sense, reflexive, unacknowledged or unrecognized bias potentially leading to its apprehension (with or without good reason) in others.
Problems of biases
A bias could lead one to accept or deny the truth of a claim, not on the basis of the strength of the arguments in support of the claim themselves, but because of the extent of the claim's correspondence with one's own preconceived ideas. This is called confirmation bias.
Other types of biases
- Class: bias favoring one social class and bias ignoring social or class divisions.
- Commercial: advertising, coverage of political campaigns favoring corporate interests, or reporting favoring media owner interests.
- Cultural bias, interpreting and judging phenomena in terms particular to one's own culture.
- Ethnic or racial: racism, nationalism, regionalism and tribalism.
- Geographical: describing a dispute as it is conducted in one country, when the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.
- Nationalistic: favoring or opposing the interests or views of a particular nation.
- Gender: including sexism and heteronormativity.
- Linguistic bias, favoring certain languages
- Political: bias in favor of or against a particular political party, philosophy, policy or candidate.
- Religious: bias for or against religion, faith or beliefs;
- Sensationalist: favoring the exceptional over the ordinary. This includes emphasizing, distorting, or fabricating exceptional news to boost commercial ratings.
- Scientific (including anti-scientific and scientific skepticism): favoring (or disfavoring) a scientist, inventor, or theory for non-scientific reasons. This can also include excessive favoring (or disfavoring) prevalent scientific opinion, if in doing so, notable viewpoints are no longer being treated neutrally.