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Bias refers to a speaker or writer’s having an identifiable preference for—or a prejudice against—one particular side or viewpoint on an issue. True objectivity is impossible, especially when someone is advocating one view over another; nevertheless, it is important to understand what influences a speaker or writer might bring to a subject. For example, a person’s religious or political affiliation might play a part in the position she takes on a particular issue. That’s unavoidable, but it’s essential that we understand how it influences her viewpoint.

Similarly, place and time have an impact on a speaker’s or writer’s perspective. If the mayor of a major city argues that a Fortune 500 company should build its headquarters in his city, we would expect his viewpoint to be biased toward the best interests of his city and his legacy. His view can’t be entirely dismissed, but it does reflect some self-interest.

The key is to understand what potential sources of bias might be—ethnicity, politics, religion, age, position/job, geographical region, socioeconomic status—and scrutinize if and how that bias affects the argument.

The trouble comes, however, when a bias toward one side leads to a willful deception or omission of facts in order to “win” the argument.