Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People

The chapter title is a reference to solving a problem that arose when an original copy of a book that Greenwald had requested was transferred to a digital copy. In the digital copy, the words were continuously cut off on the right side of the even-numbered pages. The issue was that the margins of the right and left pages were different, so a paper copy with margins that were similar had to be made first. The administrator in charge of making the digital copy told Greenwald that to fix the problem, the “trick” had been “to outsmart the machine” (146). The authors connect this anecdote directly to the issue of mindbugs—arguing that the trick is for the brain to outsmart the hidden biases within it. In other words, the reflective side of our minds needs to be able to override the automatic. But the question remains as to whether this can be done. Are we able to “outsmart the machinery of our own hidden biases?” (146).

The authors explain that there are, in fact, strategies for outsmarting mindbugs. The first example they provide is of the audition process for symphony orchestra applicants.