Our blind spots

Image courtesy of webrn-maculardegeneration.com/central-scotoma.html.

In Bernard Lonergan’s landmark work Insight, he uses the term scotoma to describe a very specific kind of intellectual "blind spot." Becoming aware of ours is a form of refined self-knowledge that is imperative for building a good community.

1. What is a Scotoma?

In medicine, a scotoma is a physical blind spot in the visual field. Lonergan adopts this metaphor to describe a psychic blind spot.

It is an active exclusion of an insight. When we face a problem, our minds naturally look for "the click"—that moment of understanding. A scotoma occurs when the mind refuses to allow a specific insight to emerge because that insight would be uncomfortable, challenging, or inconvenient.

• The Process: You gather data, but your "inner censor" blocks the specific questions that would lead to the "unwanted" answer.

• The Result: It’s not just that you have the wrong answer; it’s that you don't even realize there is a question to be asked.

  
  

2. Four types of bias

Lonergan identifies four types of bias (dramatic, individual, group, and general). The relationship between bias and scotoma is essentially one of cause and effect.

Feature	Bias	Scotoma
Nature	The underlying inclination or prejudice (emotional/volitional).	The resulting blindness or gap in understanding (intellectual).
Function	It distorts our desires and choices.	It censors the "insight" before it can even happen.
Visibility	You might recognize a bias if you’re self-aware.	A scotoma is invisible by definition; you don't know what you're missing.
Action	It pushes you toward a specific (wrong) conclusion.	It prevents the "correct" data from ever being processed.

The "Dramatic Bias" Connection

Lonergan most frequently links the scotoma to Dramatic Bias. This is a psychological bias where we try to keep our "self-image" intact. To keep our internal "script" running smoothly, we subconsciously block out any insights that would make us look like the villain or a failure.

Example: A manager has a "dramatic bias" to see themselves as a mentor. When an employee succeeds independently, the manager’s mind develops a scotoma—they literally "don't see" the employee's solo effort, attributing the success to their own guidance instead.

3. Why understanding scotoma matters

For Lonergan, the danger of a scotoma is that it is self-reinforcing. Because the insight is blocked, the person believes they are being perfectly logical. They aren't "lying" in the traditional sense; they are operating with a truncated version of reality.

To break a scotoma, Lonergan argues we need more than just "facts"—we need intellectual conversion, a willingness to ask the very questions we are afraid of. This is a spiritual practice, fostered by listening carefully to people (and yes, news sources) with whom we disagree.