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Counterintuitive = Outcome x (Evidence/Bias)

I suck at math, so please view the title of this post as symbolic and literary in nature.

I've read or heard the term 'counterintuitive' a lot lately. I like how it puts the spotlight on perception....a lot can be uncovered. But, it may say more about our biases than anything else...see definition below.


coun•ter•in•tu•i•tive (ˌkaʊn tər ɪnˈtu ɪ tɪv, -ˈtyu-)

adj.
counter to what intuition would lead one to expect.
So, I read the above and ask one question.....Who's intuition is the accepted baseline? Isn't it possible that when someone says "Hey, that seems counterintuitive." it could be easily viewed as "Hey... I have a less evolved, less informed, and biased, outlook... so I didn't expect that outcome."

A few examples:

"That member of an ethnic class didn't live up to my stereotype."

or

"My simple view of the world didn't expect the more complicated results the experiment showed."

or

"My lack of full insight makes this data seem skewed....to me....so it seems."

That sort of thing.

So be careful if you use this word....you better have a transcendent, well-informed, un-biased baseline of opinion. If not, you may come off sounding like a dolt.




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