Cumulative Error

By Deane Barker •

Also known as: Woozle Effect

Errors build on prior knowledge, which might also be in error. Belief Z might be based on Belief Y which is based on Belief X. If Belief X is wrong, that wrongness will likely make Y and Z wrong as well. Sometimes, the source of our error is buried until multiple layers.

Links

Examples

News sources often re-print each other. Source A prints Source B which has printed Source C. Unfortunately, Source C is in error, which means everything that came after it is wrong too.

This is item #21 in a sequence of 87 items.

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