  We model here an epistemic bias we call \textit{interpretive blindness} (IB).
IB is a special problem for learning from testimony, in which one acquires
information only from text or conversation. We show that IB follows from a
co-dependence between background beliefs and interpretation in a Bayesian
setting and the nature of contemporary testimony. We argue that a particular
characteristic contemporary testimony, \textit{argumentative completeness}, can
preclude learning in hierarchical Bayesian settings, even in the presence of
constraints that are designed to promote good epistemic practices.
