Our motivations to learn often stem from our personal needs. If we are in school, our motivation is based on attaining a passing grade. If our conclusions are being disputed by others, we are motivated to counter our opponents’ assertions. If we are facing difficult circumstances, we learn in order to overcome the challenges we face. These are all incentives to learn, but only to learn the things that better our situation. Sadly, these biases are only part of the problem.
Our ability to learn new things is also restricted by what we bring to the table. Our upbringing, religious beliefs, political ideologies, education, and life experiences are all powerful filters we use whenever we set our minds to learn. We utilize them when sifting through new information to determine if something is true, helpful, or necessary for us to know. In other words, we use what we already know to determine what new information can be trusted.
But our filters have their limitations. For example, consider our education level. Suppose we had only a high school diploma. In that case, graduate or doctoral-level content may be too complicated for us to understand. Similarly, our religious and political frameworks shape specific moral convictions and social positions that those with differing beliefs would not hold. Probably our most restrictive filter is that of our experiences. The challenges and traumas we face shape us in such profound ways that it is difficult to consider any proposition that contradicts what we have experienced. In sum, we routinely dismiss vast quantities of information because our motives, capabilities, beliefs, and experiences inhibit us from understanding or appreciating their value.
The biases of our motivations, coupled with the constraints of our filters, mean that how and what we learn can often be very restrictive endeavors. Far from an open investigation to discover the truth, we are frequently selective in the information we compile. We do this not because other content is unavailable or inaccessible, but because our prejudices and personal limitations influence and restrict our pursuit of knowledge.
END OF PART TWO.
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