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Module 8 - Bias and Assumptions

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Activity 1 : : Activity 2 : : Activity 3 : : Activity 4

Activity 1: Introduction

Bias and assumptions are different but interrelated aspects of a person’s viewpoint and thinking.  Bias literally means to demonstrate a particular partiality or prejudice for or against something.  An assumption is something that is taken for granted.  The two are connected in that a particular bias can bring someone to make certain assumptions.  For example, when Europeans arrived in the Americas, they thought of Native Americans as savages.  By thinking of the first Americans as savages, they assumed their inhumane treatment of them was justified.  At the same time, by assuming they represented a higher civilization, Europeans believed they were improving the lives of savages by imposing on them their way of life.  Most Native Americans thought otherwise.

Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. administrator. (2007, March 02). Module 8 - Bias and Assumptions. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from Western Governors University Web site: http://ocw.wgu.edu/liberal-arts/reasoning-problem-solving-in-the-context-of-the/a81.html. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License