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TRAP #105 ·VOL I The Individual · Self-Deception & Motivated Reasoning

Objectivity Illusion

You see the world as it is. Anyone who disagrees is the one who's biased.
Category: BiasEvidence: ReplicatedTier 2Type: Patternⓘ what these mean

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.

When it shows up

Political disagreements where each side genuinely believes they see reality clearly. Performance reviews where managers believe their assessments are objective. Scientific disputes where each camp views the other as ideologically compromised. The illusion is strongest when stakes are highest and positions most entrenched.

Failure mode

Dismissing legitimate disagreement as evidence of the other side's bias. Inability to update because updating requires recognising that your perception was not objective to begin with. Escalating conflict because each side sees the other as willfully distorting reality.

Countermeasure

Assume your perception is as constructed and filtered as everyone else's. Ask: "What would someone with my opponent's life experience see in this situation?" Apply CL-7 (Steel Man).

Related traps

Also connected in the mapThe Bias Blind Spot·The Fundamental Attribution Error·The Introspection Illusion·1 more, locked

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Want the full correction for Objectivity Illusion?

This entry has the mechanism and countermeasure. The full write-up - real cases, sources, the audit prompt - comes later.

Entry #105 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon