An idyllic scene, painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, might be a way to view confirmation bias as reflected in society today. Romantics see this painting as the peaceful scene of a young lady enjoying a playful time. She appears to be flirting with a suitor, perhaps her young lover. He is hiding in the bushes, peeking under her bloomers.

Cynics taking a closer look uncover a darker scene at another corner of the painting. It is that of a cuckold husband. He is in the background pushing the swing (Les hasards heureux de l'escarpolette).

Today, both liberal thinkers and conservative thinkers may be seeing what they wish to see.

In 2024, Richard Born wrote “Stop Fooling Yourself! Diagnosing and Treating Confirmation Bias,” which he defined as “a cognitive bias that allows us to fool ourselves by selectively filtering data and distorting analyses to support favored beliefs or hypotheses.”

During political unrest, we might see an administration trying to keep the peace, or........

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