Can a person truly be unbiased??

Yes we can be unbiased to a limit, but we can never be perfectly unbiased. However, not every one can be unbiased. It depends on the amount of education that you had, and how many times you did hear other opinions. Also on a lower level, look at the refrees of sports games; most of them try to be unbiased and they apparently succeed. So my conclusion is: every one can be unbiased to an extent, but no one can be perfectly neutral.

This is a great observation. I've rated this discussion! I think you are absolutely right that everyone has an opinion but I think it would also be fair to assume that depending on the subject matter and knowledge, that opinions may be open to more debate, less set in stone. If someone is not particularly knowledgeable or comes into a discussion from outside then their opinion would be based upon their own circumstances and experiences and therefore may be less biased than someone looking at the same siutation from the inside out. Sometimes as a friend I would play devils advocate, try and be as balanced in my opinion as I can, but ultimately the decision over something is taken by the individual. Of course if we look at a jury then the reason for having 12 individuals from different backgrounds and experiences is to ensure a balance of opinion. Each of those people will come to the table with their own bias, but they are trying persons on the weight of evidence and evidence alone, if they don't then they are failing in their duties. I could go on here, but great point!

My gf can actually play devil's advocate on both sides of a topic until there's nearly no topic at all, no matter what it is, and she makes good sense 99 percent of the time, it amazes me, me I have opinions on anything and everything that I cannolt shake nor budge,lol.Makes for great conversation!!

What is being referred to as bias, is usually a mindset of an individual. And this mindset evolves over the time in interaction with the individual environment (parenting, scholling, neighbourhood, religion etc). These knowledge points help forming the mindset of an individuals and this generally drives action and reaction for the individual. There are also instances where in an individual or individuals donot have a view on a particular instance, therein they tend to go by the most prevalent and acceptable view, something that can also be attributed to as herd mentality. Bottomline, it takes guts to go against the tide, it takes more to form a wave or a viewpoint.

You know what they say, "opinions are like @rseholes: everybody's got one and most of them stink!" More seriously, I try as much as I can to be unbiased although, being merely human, I am not always successful. I try to see different approaches to a topic before I forge my own opinion, which may subsequently vary if I'm provided with new data. I've always been like that, so I suppose I was bound to end up being a scientist! ;)

While it's true that everyone has an opinion, regardless of the subject, you're making the mistake of assuming that opinion and bias are synonamous ... and they're not. One can have an opinion and remain objective or unbiased towards the subject matter. Actually, that's the most rational approach to any debate, or any discussion ... being able to formulate an opinion based on the facts involved, and be able to communicate that opinion clearly ... while remaining unbiased and objective.

I don't think a person can truly be unbiased. He has accumulated a certain level of knowledge in his experiences and studies of things that form his opinion on something. That being said, his awareness of this condition and an attempt to be more objective as much as possible is a good starting point.

I agree with you that I think it is not humanly possible not to have an opinion about anything. But I think that, being unbiased is not actually not having an opinion on something but giving the other side of the coin a clear opportunity (even if only in your mind) to change your mind. I think being unbiased means being open to be wrong about your opinion. And learning not to shove whatever opinion you may have on somebody and forcing them to accept your opinion as the truth or the right side. 'Well, that's just my opinion' ^_^

it would be very hard to be unbiased. you see those tv shows where the police chief's son is a suspect (or something along those plot lines) and the chief says that he's not biased towards his son, and true enough, he doesn't give him any special treatment, but usually, the father's biased the other way. just to prove that he's not biased, he'll do everything in his power to prove that his son IS the bad guy.

Bias is inevitable. Everything is viewed depending on the color of the eye glasses. Even how objective someone can tries to be in the face of issues and problems. There is no escaping of personal experiences in the analysis of the issue. To be unbias is to be untrue.

No, no one can completely claim to be completely unbiased. In an organization for instance, where there are warring factions, one could be said to be an unbiased arbitrator by looking only at the the issues, and not the personalities involved. However, your bias could be towards organizational goals, or towards higher humanitarian goals. In that sense then, you have a bias. No, everyone takes a tendency towards whatever is consistent with personal goals and values. That is, you work for an organization that also embodies your own values, or makes decisions that uphold these values. Here, we assume that the person makes decisions based on information available to him or her. Of course, the chosen "bias" could be a mistake - e.g., "I always thought this organization believes in quality" - and he/she adjusts his position as additional information becomes available to him/her. :)Hope this was useful.

Absolutely! Everyone has an opinion. I am trying my best to keep them to myself these days... :)

I would respond to this, but I am too busy trying to sit on this fence without falling off...

Everyone has a 'worldview'. A bias...a frame of reference. It is impossible not to have an opinion. How you present that to those around you, how you choose to deliver it to the public forum...is up to the individual. And if you actively search for proof, clarification and reason for your worldview after reaching maturity...is also up to the individual.

I agree with you that we all have our own opinions. I suppose the "sitting on the fence" type are the ones who are totally disinterested in the subject. If we are true to ourselves, we will have to admit that it is extremely hard to be unbiased much as we try to.

Well honestly I never looked at it from your point of veiw before but there is some sense in what you say. I know there has been many times a situation comes up and Ill say I have no opinion but later on I find myself thinking about what happened and how the person handled it and what I would have done different, meaning I did have an opinion in the first place I just chose to keep it to myself at times if this makes any sense to you. I think your your right and people have an opinion on everything but we just chose when to voice it and when to keep it to ourselfs. I think its just in human nature that we have opinions on everything and its just how we voice them to others is what we have to watch. Ones opinion should never be forced apon another ever.

i think it is impossible for a person to be completely unbiased. everyone has attachments. and everyone has preferences and prejudices. these things almost always affect judgement.

I feel that a person who is spiritually in another world, so-to-speak, will become objective to anything that is going on in the "Material" world, as they've raised above all of that. Also, what about jurers? People who sit on a jury, have to be totally unbiased, don't they? I always wonder how they can be...it seems they'd have to have never read a newspaper or listened to the radio. Many people reach opinions based on the media, which I feel isn't a good source of basing one's conclusions on. We all live in our own little worlds, and so I guess it would be impossible for any one person to be free of opinions. I guess it depends on how they were formed, and if they are positive, or negative, and how they rule our actions. So basically I do agree with you. Do I make sense????

I agree with you. I don't think that anyone is totally unbiased. Everyone forms some kind of opinion on any topic. If you ask a person how they feel about almost anything they will give you an answer. I think it is important to be able to discuss youur opinions appropriately and sometimes set your opinion aside but you do have an opinion.

yes every one has a perception of thier own...i ll tell you what i felll ok....in a room if a pencil is displayed many people sittin around it see different sides of it thats what we say are the perceptions...similarly even our thoughts are like the centre of a circle and can move in any direction..but mosst of the times an individuals perception is either too loud or too soft ..what i meant is ,,that the thoughts need a media to be voiced out..and that depends upon the individual character...if he is an extrovert it takes just milliseconds to be out and if he s an introvert he ll either accpet others words or never voice out his words...biasing or unbiasing depends on the relationship a person shares with the ppl around ,,,with the character he has.....i agree to what u said james...we dont voice out all the thots we get..i mean we just cant voice out sumtimes..our mind get thousand thots a minute...