why do human beings have a tendency to think they are always right?
As a first attempt to answer the question of why human beings have a tendency to think they are always right, we could point to cognitive biases, and in particular to one called "confirmation bias". This bias conditions human beings to use any new evidence to confirm their pre-existing beliefs, and to reject any new evidence that contradicts these beliefs. People may also experience the so-called illusory superiority, another bias that conditions them to overestimate their skills and make them believe they are superior to the rest. However these biases, as concrete as well-proven as they are, are only part of the explanation. The book "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error" by Kathryn Schulz is an exploration on why humans have the tendency to disregard errors and think they are always right. Shulz describes how people start with the assumption that they are right in everything they believe, and when they realise they have made a mistake, instead of challenging this assumption, they actually feel relief and think: "I was right except for this particular error I was making, but now that I have realised it I can certainly say that I am 100% right in everything".
Por que os seres humanos têm a tendência de pensar que estão sempre certos?
Como uma primeira tentativa de responder à pergunta de por que os seres humanos tendem a pensar que estão sempre certos, poderíamos apontar para preconceitos cognitivos, e em particular para um chamado "viés de confirmação". Este viés condiciona os seres humanos a usar qualquer nova evidência para confirmar suas crenças pré-existentes e rejeitar qualquer nova evidência que contradiz essas crenças. As pessoas também podem experimentar a chamada superioridade ilusória, outro viés que os condiciona a superestimar suas habilidades e fazê-los acreditar que são superiores ao resto. No entanto, esses preconceitos, tão concretos e bem comprovados quanto são, são apenas parte da explicação. O livro "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error" (Ser errado: Aventuras na Margem do Erro) de Kathryn Schulz é uma exploração sobre por que os seres humanos tendem a desconsiderar e achar que estão sempre certos.