“When they see something unjust like UC Davis incident, try to look & find out if the same injustice has been perpetrated against others whose political views are different from one’s own — & complain about both.”`

November 23rd, 2011

 This is an example of “cultural cognition,” the tendency of people to conform their view of legally relevant facts to their group values. It’s a big problem for law — not just because these dynamics could affect juries & judges but also because they generate divisive conflict over the political neutrality of the law.

Dan Kahan on how to minimize the risks of cultural cognition. His work on cultural cognition is fascinating.