Intentionality Bias, Agenticity & the Fast Radio Bursts of Prospect Actions

Fast Radio Bursts lit up the web with more, quicker, and repeating findings this month.

The big question of reporting on them being, are these strange signals from beyond our galaxy made by aliens?

Many pondered our willingness to posit ET’s involvement.

Can scientists really be so un-science-y?

A pair of reasonings emerge as culprits;

intentionality bias & agenticity.

Here’s web definitions. “An intentional bias occurs when a person or group deliberately alters data in order to change the results of an experiment or study. This type of bias influences the information gathered to go in a certain and predetermined direction.”

Alongside “the tendency to infuse patterns with meaning, intention, and agency” which evolves patternicity into agenticity.

So, it seems we can seek to adapt facts to fit our theory as well as apply effect to cause to provide answers.

Many a solution sales campaign can suffer from these.

Often with good reason. A prospect keeps missing deadlines we suspect we’re struggling. We feel the chief counter of beans is only interested in the money. We mistake a ‘yes’ for truly meaning ‘yes’.

I wonder if these can be part of an occasional forecasting audit.

Three simple questions perhaps;

What patterns have we noticed?

Which key ‘fact’ may have at least one alternative?

How have we checked to see who really is pulling the strings?

We might just put ourselves, if not light years, then that vital one step ahead.