To what extent do you think that bias affects the worth of answers?

Question

Two examples as food for thought.

On the one hand we have WhyNotAskDon, who as a level 6, spends a considerable amount of time on Yahoo Answers in general and a high concentration of it in the Religion forum. He's a proponent of a Christian religion and has his own website promoting his unique religious beliefs.

On the other hand, we have Choose_Reality, who as a level 4 also spends a not inconsequential amount of time on these boards answering questions. He also spends a good amount of time in the Religion area, but as a staunch atheist, he has the exact opposite agenda as Don.

I guess the question that I'm really asking is, do you trust someone with an obvious opinion or standpoint (and seeming vested interest in maintaining that standpoint) to give you an objective answer?

Are answers that represent a personal agenda less meaningful?

Please do not attack either of these community members. They are merely given as examples (though I'd like them to respond).

Answer 1

Frankly, bias is all we answer with. No one can really give an answer in this section that doesn't include opinion.

Answer 2

I expect that each individual's personal opinions and bias will be present in their answer here. I am trying to keep a somewhat open mind on religions and am interested in religion so it is cool to read different perspectives. I find however so far that my skepticism is only reinforced, I'm not sure what that means. I usually try to answer questions in a factual way but depending on the day I tend to sometimes be just as biased as either of the two members in your example. Usually though I do try to put some facts in their to support my positions which I appreciate in other's answers as well. I think most people realize, especially in religion category, that you have to weigh what people say.

Answer 3

You have a reasonable question.

Bias is quite natural. All of us have it in one direction or another. In religion, we are discussing things which cannot be evaluated purely from an empirical sense. You cannot stick god in a test tube and run a spectroanalysis or calculate the effect of prayer on a person's heart. It is the difference between facts and truth.

Just because someone is passionate about their position does not necessarily make what they are saying more or less true. However, as a discerning reader, you need to look for the logic of the argument, the solidity of the reasoning, and the validity of any and all evidence presented. A biased person who allows their bias to interfere with what they are saying will tend to gloss over or not even mention faults in their own reasoning, present marginal quality evidence, and so forth.

In the marketplace of ideas, the old caveat remains true, "buyer beware". It is incumbent upon you as the reader to make up your own mind, examine all proposals with as little bias of your own as possible, and come up with your own thoughts. Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Your question assumes that people are looking for unbiased answers.

I think that most of the people who ask questions here are looking for comments that support what they already believe to be true.

In other words they are looking for biased answers, and they often get angry and send hate emails if someone says something that disagrees with their preconceptions. It is as though, they see any comment that does not agree with their thought system as an attack on that thought system.

On occasion I get emails that thank me for my comment, but it is usually because what I said agreed with the perspective of the person asking the question.

I have only gotten one email thanking me for helping some one to see something differently than the way they had previously.

We don't like anyone rocking the boat.

Love and blessings
don

Answer 5

As individuals we all have a bias in one way or another. The bias of an answer isn't what is important. Importance lies in the truth value of ones statement and how much evidence supports the argument or claim.

Bias however can taint evidence as in the example of Don's point of view he is biased to believe that the Bible has a supernatural origin and therefore is absolute truth, where as i would see the Bible as an exaggerated historical document and anthology of various fables and mythological accounts. Don's ideas come from his background in theological study while mine come from textual analysis, historical context, logic, and reason.

It's all in the eye of the beholder at the end of the day, no matter who is correct.

Answer 6

Bias affects everything we say and do, with rare exceptions. Religion in particular affects our points of view. Religion floods our ethical standards and politics.

Even stronger than religion is the disdain we hold against certain attitudes. I am prone to give a thoughtful answer to a gay-basher who refrains from profanity, insults and threats. When I sense a genuine (to me) desire for understanding, I will give a Christian a genuinely thoughful answer about my beliefs.

Bias governs all opinions. Attitudes govern all tones of voice.

Answer 7

Um, well, I don't really look to the religious section of Yahoo answers to get objective answers. I usually ask about opinions, or what different beliefs are. But yeah, some peoples answers obviously need to be taken with a larger grain of salt than others.

Answer 8

No. It's allows the asker to see different view points before deciding which answer is most beneficial to them. Besides, I would like to think that people would do some research and not just take the opinions of Ask Yahoo participants.

Answer 9

You forgot me? I do all my questions and answers in religion and I'm almost a level 6. But must admit I have had help as others have answered questions on my name.
But mine is seeking real answers not some made up supersticious mumbo jumbo that you have to take on faith. Don't want anything that can't be explained.

Answer 10

Opinions can be persuasive, but they should not be the basis of any argument. WhyNotAskDon relies almost exclusively on opinions, as he assumes the Bible is the word of his God. I can't speak specifically for Choose_Reality, but most non-believers don't believe for reasons more rooted in history and facts.

That said, almost any answer is liable to be tinged with bias. That is why people should think and research for themselves.

Answer 11

I lie and just say at the start of my questions I'm an agnostic not trying to convert anyone, and since I started saying that I've gotten intelligent answers.

If I just ask the question, I get ridiculed by Theists for being an atheist, and all the atheists do is just applaud me for being an atheist,

but the lie of I'm an agnostic, gets so much better quality of answer.

Why do you think that is?