The bias we all fall for every day
What if a smoker advises you not to smoke?
How will you react when a smoker advises you not to smoke?
The first thought that might come to your mind might be “Oh Man such a hypocrite he is, he himself smokes and is advising not to do so”
Right?
Well, wait for a second.
Advice is advice no matter from whom it is coming.
If smoking is bad for health, it is bad no matter if a smoker is advising it or a non-smoker is advising it.
What would have been your reaction had a non-smoker given you the advice to not smoke. You would have considered their advice without any judgement.
Isn’t it?
Advice should be seen objectively, not in a manner who is speaking it, but what are they speaking about.
We should question the argument, not the person.
If in the above scenario, if you tell the man that he is a hypocrite you are instead attacking the person rather than questioning the argument
This phenomenon is called “Personal Attack Fallacy” or “Ad-Hominem” where rather than questioning the argument, you start attacking the person.
And we all fall for this fallacy in our day to day lives (yes me too).
But I have learned now to question the argument rather than the person saying it.
Your lungs will, either way, be damaged if you keep on smoking no matter if a smoker advises or a non-smoker advises you.
Learning to take advice is altogether a different skill which not many people are well versed with.
Maybe we all can start practising this from today.
Thank you for patiently reading till here.
