Why is prejudice a sign of ignorance?

Prejudice is mostly caused by ignorance. When we have "taken for granted" reasoning about something we don't fully understand, prejudice comes into being. The solution to ignorance and prejudice is actually very simple, that is, you have to make some investigation and study yourself before you can draw a conclusion. For example, Aristotle believed that women have fewer teeth than men. If he had counted his wife's teeth, he might not have made such a joke. The fatal weakness of mankind is that it is easy to make self-righteous mistakes. Some people once believed that hedgehogs feed on beetles because everyone said so. If he wants to write a book about hedgehog's habits, who dares to draw this conclusion easily, unless he has witnessed the hedgehog eating this delicious food with relish.

Of course, many things can't be solved by personal experience. For this kind of thing, most people only rely on subjective judgment and think they are true. If you are the same, there are some ways to make you aware of your prejudice.

first, if the opposite opinion will make you angry, it shows that your reason is out of control. Needless to say, you will subconsciously notice this. If someone insists that two plus two equals five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you won't get angry at all, but feel sorry for his ignorance. Of course, if you don't know anything about arithmetic or geography yourself, this is another matter. Only those things for which neither side has convincing evidence will have the fiercest debate. Therefore, be careful at all times, and don't get angry when you hear different opinions. Through careful observation, you will find that your views are not necessarily consistent with the facts.

second, understanding the views of people from different social categories is a wonderful way to overcome subjectivity and arbitrariness. When you are young, if you spend a lot of time abroad-France, Germany, Italy and the United States, you will find it quite beneficial to weaken the intensity of your prejudice. If you can't travel, you should try your best to find people who disagree with you and read newspapers of other parties. If you think these people or newspapers seem irrational, outrageous and disgusting, you have to remind yourself that you may be the same in their eyes. From this point of view, maybe both sides are right, but they can't be both wrong. This way of thinking should be paid enough attention to.

thirdly, if you have a rich imagination, you might as well assume that you are arguing with people with different views. This method is not limited by any time and space. For example, Mahatma Gandhi hates railways, steamboats and machinery, and if possible, he is likely to destroy all the achievements of the entire industrial revolution. Perhaps, it is impossible for you to really argue with such people, but you can imagine how Gandhi would refute your point of view if you argued with him. In this hypothetical debate, sometimes you really find that your opponent's point of view is more correct than yours, so you change your original arbitrary view.

Fourth, beware of being too self-respecting. Nine times out of ten, men and women are convinced that they are superior to the opposite sex. Both sides have sufficient basis. Men will say that most celebrities such as poets and scientists are men; Women will retort, and there are more criminals than men. In fact, it is still difficult to determine whether men are superior or women are superior. However, most people's pride is at work on this issue. Another example is: no matter where people grow up, they will argue that their country is better than other countries. In view of the fact that every country has its own advantages and disadvantages, we have to adjust the criteria for judging whether the advantages of our country are crucial or not, and whether the disadvantages are insignificant by comparison. In fact, there is no absolute standard to judge this problem. There is also an excessive self-esteem in human beings. The only way to eliminate this arrogant psychological state of human beings is to remind ourselves that the earth is only a small star in the universe, and life is only a fleeting episode in the vicissitudes of the earth; At the same time, we should remind ourselves that there may be "humans" on other planets in the universe, and they may be superior to us, just as we are superior to jellyfish.