By Lahcen Haddad*
Rather than fight biases, it would probably be more effective to accept them, note them, register that they exist and move on; awareness is the most important thing; our body and our mind are pre-programmed but we need to note the prejudices they have, the biases they have cultivated and grow out of that, via a sense of awareness that we cultivate, not by disowning body, mind and beliefs, but by noting that they exist and that they are “there.”
Rather than struggle, we should adopt an acceptance mode so as to find peace and transcend the drags and humdrum of daily reflexes.
“Thereness” is the basis of awareness, I would say. This sounds Heideggerian but for me, it resolves this question of bias and consciuonsness which gives birth to the critical stance.
For theorists of critical thinking, consciousness gives birth to critique and the critical sense creates a “moment of truth.” But awareness as a transcendance of body, mind and beliefs creates a truth out of acceptance, not rejection; it is like what the psychoanalysts call “coming to terms” (with one’s past, one’s trauma).
Truth is the closing of the narrative. Idem for bias: awareness and “thereness” liberate the “aware being”: it is consciousness without critique!
* Lahcen Haddad : a former Minister & Mohammed V University professor
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