Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error

The author informs the reader that women did not obtain the right to vote in Switzerland until 1971, and she questions how such a progressive country could have taken so long to modernize on the issue of women’s suffrage. The author argues that this delayed action relied on a sense of community; allowing women to vote would seemingly undermine centuries of tradition and destroy the community bonds the Swiss men held dear. The anecdote suggests that our membership in a community influences our beliefs about the world.

Each of us, the author argues, is deeply dependent on other people’s minds. We tend to trust information that comes from a trusted source, and thus, the overwhelming majority of the beliefs we hold are, in essence, belief that someone else is right. While we form beliefs based on our communities, says Schulz, we also form communities based on our beliefs. This tendency to associate with people who are like us is known as “homophily.” Being part of such communities affords the comfort of being among others who agree with and understand us. However, faith in these communities can also lead us into error.

Expanding on the idea of community-based error, Schulz references both 13th-century English philosopher friar