{"id":41474,"date":"2025-04-03T21:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T04:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=41474"},"modified":"2025-04-03T21:11:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T04:11:00","slug":"parasitic-shortcuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/parasitic-shortcuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Parasitic Shortcuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\"\"n the film Inception, Dom Cobb warns, \u201cWhat is the most resilient parasite?… An idea. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it\u2019s almost impossible to eradicate.\u201d The film explores how hidden thoughts shape reality, often without people realizing it. This premise mirrors a real-world truth: Much of our thinking is shaped by unconscious biases\u2014deep-seated mental shortcuts that influence our choices without our awareness.\u00a0 Pragya Agarwal explores these hidden forces in her book Sway<\/em>[1]<\/sup><\/a>, arguing that biases stem from evolutionary survival mechanisms. But this explanation raises questions: If biases lead to flawed thinking, why would evolution favor them? Could they instead point to a deeper reality\u2014not just cognitive habits, but a moral and spiritual brokenness inherent in human nature? In this article, I will examine Agarwl\u2019s work, exploring its insights while challenging its evolutionary assumptions from a theological perspective.\u00a0 I will consider: Are biases just evolutionary survival mechanisms, or do they reveal something more profound\u2014the universal struggle with human fallenness and the need for redemption?<\/p>\n

Sway Perspective on Bias<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>There is much discussion about the reality and disadvantages of human bias.\u00a0 Works like Being Wrong<\/em>[<\/strong><\/sup><\/a>2]<\/sup><\/a>, Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>[3]<\/strong><\/sup><\/a>, and Why We Are Wrong About Nearly Everything<\/em>[4]<\/sup><\/a> all agree that biases distort our thinking. In her book Sway<\/em>, Pragra Agarwal concludes that biases are unconscious, shaped by evolution, and affect all areas of life.\u00a0 She identifies biases as adaptive mechanisms, a behavior aiding survival from evolutionary history.[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 She argues that biases are not flaws but rather \u201cfeatures that contribute to fitness in some way.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 While this perspective addresses the earlier question- that if biases lead to errors, why would evolution favor them- it does not account for the apparent moral tension they create today.\u00a0 If our prejudices are evolved survival instincts that provide us an advantage, can they be considered morally wrong?\u00a0 Is morality, and the standards of good and evil, right and wrong, anything more than a social contract?<\/p>\n

A Theological Perspective on Bias <\/strong><\/p>\n

Agarwal argues that unconscious bias was an evolutionary survival mechanism necessary in the past but continues without justification.\u00a0 Throughout the book, she contends that when these biases manifest as prejudice and discrimination, they are inherently wrong.\u00a0 This assumption of morality aligns more closely with the Christian doctrine of sin. Rather than being a product of an evolutionary process, biases can be more readily understood as a byproduct of humanity’s rejection of God and His design for human flourishing. Consider the following examples:<\/p>\n

Confirmation bias<\/em><\/strong> and resistance to truth.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the reality of confirmation bias, Jesus teaches:<\/p>\n

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This passage illustrates confirmation bias in people responding to truth based on their preexisting desires and moral inclinations. Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that supports one’s beliefs while rejecting or avoiding information that challenges them. Here, Jesus explains that people reject the light (truth) not because it is unclear or unconvincing, but because they love the darkness\u2014they have a vested interest in maintaining their current way of life. Their attachment to sin causes them to avoid or resist the light, much like confirmation bias leads individuals to reject information threatening their worldview.<\/p>\n

Those who do evil \u201cdo not come to the light, lest their works should be exposed.\u201d They avoid the truth to protect their current way of thinking and acting, just as people with confirmation bias avoid evidence that contradicts their views. The passage states that people love darkness rather than light. Similarly, confirmation bias is often driven by emotional attachment to certain beliefs rather than a neutral evaluation of evidence. The verse says that those who do evil hate the light. This mirrors how people experiencing confirmation bias can become hostile toward perspectives that challenge their beliefs.<\/p>\n

In short, John 3:19-20 suggests that the rejection of truth is not always intellectual but often moral, psychological, and emotional.<\/p>\n

In-group bias<\/em><\/strong> cultivates prejudice, discrimination, and oppression.<\/p>\n

In-group bias is the tendency to favor one’s group over others, often resulting in exclusion, prejudice, and superiority. Agarwal suggests that this bias was an evolutionary mechanism that protected against disease or potential threats.[8]<\/sup><\/a> Paul illustrates that the Gospel ultimately overcomes such a bias.<\/p>\n

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul clearly shows that the sin of such bias leads to human division and pride. Paul\u2019s statement in this passage pushes back against the divisions that naturally arise from such biases. Divisions such as ethnic, social, and gender inequality are not God\u2019s desire nor design but the result of brokenness, a byproduct of our rejection of God. Paul rebukes this broken way of living, emphasizing that all are equal in Christ.<\/p>\n

Conclusion <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sway<\/em> offers insights into biases but, ironically, is limited by a secular, evolutionary bias.\u00a0 This restricts Agarwal’s ability to consider alternative viewpoints on the origins of such biases, causing her to miss a deeper problem.\u00a0 Bias, whether conscious or unconscious, reflects our brokenness.\u00a0 The only hope for a remedy lies in the transformative power of the Gospel, which can change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. This change requires more than a heightened awareness of our biases; it necessitates completely transforming our nature.<\/p>\n

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> Pragya Agarwal, Sway: Unraveling Unconscious Bias<\/em>, (London: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2020).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Kathryn Schulz, Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error<\/em>, (New York: HarperCollins, 2010).<\/p>\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Kahneman, Daniel, Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition, 2011).<\/p>\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Bobby Duffy, Why We Are Wrong About Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding<\/em>, (New York, NY: Basic Books, 2019).<\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Pragya Agarwal, Sway,<\/em> 44.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/sup><\/a> Ibid., 44.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/sup><\/a> John 3:19-20.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/sup><\/a> Pragya Agarwal, Sway<\/em>, 152.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/sup><\/a> Galatians 3:28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the film Inception, Dom Cobb warns, \u201cWhat is the most resilient parasite?… An idea. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it\u2019s almost impossible to eradicate.\u201d The film explores how hidden thoughts shape reality, often without people realizing it. This premise mirrors a real-world truth: Much of our thinking is shaped by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3441],"class_list":["post-41474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-agarwal-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41474"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41482,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41474\/revisions\/41482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}