Hugo Mercier

Förnuftet sägs vara en unik egenskap för oss människor, grunden för vår kunskap och visdom. Men om förnuftet är så viktigt, varför har det inte utvecklats hos andra djur? Om förnuftet är att lita på, varför har det gett upphov till så mycket nonsens? Förnuft och fördom skrotar idén om det ensamma geniet. Hugo Mercier och Dan Sperber argumenterar för att förnuftet är en kollektiv färdighet som utvecklats för att övertyga andra, bedöma olika argument och motivera våra handlingar. Författarna förklarar de svagheter och styrkor som länge har förvirrat filosofer och psykologer varför förnuftet är partiskt till fördel för sådant som vi redan tror på, varför det bidrar till förskräckliga idéer men ändå är oumbärligt för att sprida bra idéer. Med ett förord av Åsa Wikforss, professor i teoretisk filosofi. Hugo Mercier är kognitionsforskare och psykolog med fokus på förnuftets funktion hos människan. Han har skrivit för edge.org, Psychology Today, samt hållit en TED-föreläsning. Dan Sperber är kognitionsforskare som bland annat arbetat med kognitiv antropologi och lingvistik. Han är ordförande för den tvärvetenskapliga forskningsinstitutionen International Cognition and Culture Institute.

Pochemu tak zhivuchi sueverija i predrassudki, a nauchnoe znanie chasto vstrechaet v obschestve upornoe soprotivlenie? Pochemu massy poddajutsja manipulirovaniju s pomoschju grubykh tekhnologij? Kak povlijalo na nashu kartinu mira burnoe razvitie sotsialnykh setej? Ugo Merse, izvestnyj kognitivnyj psikholog, rabotavshij v veduschikh issledovatelskikh tsentrakh Frantsii i SSHA, ischet otvet na eti i drugie voprosy, osparivaja ukorenivsheesja predstavlenie, chto ljudi po prirode svoej legkoverny. On znakomit chitatelja s osobennostjami nashego vosprijatija informatsii, zanovo osmyslivaet raznye javlenija drevnej i novejshej istorii, ot tragicheskikh epizodov Peloponnesskoj vojny i protsessa nad salemskimi "vedmami" do izbranija Trampa i stojkoj podozritelnosti po otnosheniju k vaktsinirovaniju. Dokazyvaja oshibochnost predstavlenij o nashej nesposobnosti filtrovat potok informatsii, avtor knigi ne bez jumora predosteregaet i ot togo, chtoby prinimat na veru ego argumenty.

Why people are not as gullible as we thinkNot Born Yesterday explains how we decide who we can trust and what we should believe—and argues that we're pretty good at making these decisions. In this lively and provocative book, Hugo Mercier demonstrates how virtually all attempts at mass persuasion—whether by religious leaders, politicians, or advertisers—fail miserably. Drawing on recent findings from political science and other fields ranging from history to anthropology, Mercier shows that the narrative of widespread gullibility, in which a credulous public is easily misled by demagogues and charlatans, is simply wrong. Why is mass persuasion so difficult? Mercier uses the latest findings from experimental psychology to show how each of us is endowed with sophisticated cognitive mechanisms of open vigilance. Computing a variety of cues, these mechanisms enable us to be on guard against harmful beliefs, while being open enough to change our minds when presented with the right evidence. Even failures—when we accept false confessions, spread wild rumors, or fall for quack medicine—are better explained as bugs in otherwise well-functioning cognitive mechanisms than as symptoms of general gullibility. Not Born Yesterday shows how we filter the flow of information that surrounds us, argues that we do it well, and explains how we can do it better still.

Why people are not as gullible as we thinkNot Born Yesterday explains how we decide who we can trust and what we should believe—and argues that we're pretty good at making these decisions. In this lively and provocative book, Hugo Mercier demonstrates how virtually all attempts at mass persuasion—whether by religious leaders, politicians, or advertisers—fail miserably. Drawing on recent findings from political science and other fields ranging from history to anthropology, Mercier shows that the narrative of widespread gullibility, in which a credulous public is easily misled by demagogues and charlatans, is simply wrong. Why is mass persuasion so difficult? Mercier uses the latest findings from experimental psychology to show how each of us is endowed with sophisticated cognitive mechanisms of open vigilance. Computing a variety of cues, these mechanisms enable us to be on guard against harmful beliefs, while being open enough to change our minds when presented with the right evidence. Even failures—when we accept false confessions, spread wild rumors, or fall for quack medicine—are better explained as bugs in otherwise well-functioning cognitive mechanisms than as symptoms of general gullibility. Not Born Yesterday shows how we filter the flow of information that surrounds us, argues that we do it well, and explains how we can do it better still.

"Brilliant... Timely and necessary." --Financial Times "Especially timely as we struggle to make sense of how it is that individuals and communities persist in holding beliefs that have been thoroughly discredited." --Darren Frey, Science If reason is what makes us human, why do we behave so irrationally? And if it is so useful, why didn't it evolve in other animals? This groundbreaking account of the evolution of reason by two renowned cognitive scientists seeks to solve this double enigma. Reason, they argue, helps us justify our beliefs, convince others, and evaluate arguments. It makes it easier to cooperate and communicate and to live together in groups. Provocative, entertaining, and undeniably relevant, The Enigma of Reason will make many reasonable people rethink their beliefs. "Reasonable-seeming people are often totally irrational. Rarely has this insight seemed more relevant... Still, an essential puzzle remains: How did we come to be this way?... Cognitive scientists Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber argue that] reason developed not to enable us to solve abstract, logical problems... but] to resolve the problems posed by living in collaborative groups." --Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker "Turns reason's weaknesses into strengths, arguing that its supposed flaws are actually design features that work remarkably well." --Financial Times "The best thing I have read about human reasoning. It is extremely well written, interesting, and very enjoyable to read."--Gilbert Harman, Princeton University

Reason, we are told, is what makes us human, the source of our knowledge and wisdom. If reason is so useful, why didn't it also evolve in other animals? If reason is that reliable, why do we produce so much thoroughly reasoned nonsense? In their ground-breaking account of the evolution and workings of reason, Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber set out to solve this double enigma. Reason, they argue with a compelling mix of real-life and experimental evidence, is not geared to solitary use, to arriving at better beliefs and decisions on our own. What reason does, rather, is help us justify our beliefs and actions to others, convince them through argumentation, and evaluate the justifications and arguments that others address to us. In other words, reason has evolved to help humans better exploit their uniquely rich social environment. This illuminating interpretation of reason makes sense of strengths and weaknesses that have long puzzled philosophers and psychologists - why reason is biased in favour of what we already believe, why it may lead to terrible ideas and yet is indispensable to spreading good ones. Ambitious, provocative, and entertaining, The Enigma of Reason will spark debate among psychologists and philosophers, and make many reasonable people rethink their own thinking.

Reason, we are told, is what makes us human, the source of our knowledge and wisdom. If reason is so useful, why didn't it also evolve in other animals? If reason is that reliable, why do we produce so much thoroughly reasoned nonsense? In their groundbreaking account of the evolution and workings of reason, Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber set out to solve this double enigma. Reason, they argue with a compelling mix of real-life and experimental evidence, is not geared to solitary use, to arriving at better beliefs and decisions on our own. What reason does, rather, is help us justify our beliefs and actions to others, convince them through argumentation, and evaluate the justifications and arguments that others address to us. In other words, reason helps humans better exploit their uniquely rich social environment. This interactionist interpretation explains why reason may have evolved and how it fits with other cognitive mechanisms. It makes sense of strengths and weaknesses that have long puzzled philosophers and psychologists--why reason is biased in favor of what we already believe, why it may lead to terrible ideas and yet is indispensable to spreading good ones. Ambitious, provocative, and entertaining, The Enigma of Reason will spark debate among psychologists and philosophers, and make many reasonable people rethink their own thinking.