This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.
Definition
Most of your beliefs were formed earlier in your life, when you were less informed and more impressionable. You continue to hold them not because you have re-evaluated them but because you have never bothered to. These old, unreviewed beliefs are "cached" - stored and retrieved automatically, without being reprocessed. When about to offer an opinion, ask not "what do I think?" but "when did I form this and is it still mine?"
When it shows up
Asked to produce opinions quickly. Responding to familiar topics without fresh consideration. Most daily reasoning.
Failure mode
Instead of thinking, the mind retrieves previously-cached conclusions from prior thinking. The conclusions may have been valid when formed but may be outdated. The mind produces them as if they were fresh.
Countermeasure
Periodically audit your cached opinions. Ask: 'When did I actually think this through? What evidence did I have? Is that evidence still valid?' Most cached thoughts survive; some don't. Revisiting is the only way to tell.
Related traps
Also connected in the map3 more, locked
Credit & first seen
PopularizedDiscussed by Gurwinder Bhogal in30 Useful Concepts(Spring 2024, https://gurwinder.blog/p/30-useful-concepts-spring-2024).
Also revealed
Entry #11 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon