Not born yesterday : the science of who we trust and what we believe / Hugo Mercier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mercier, Hugo, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Persuasion (Psychology)--Social aspects.

Persuasion (Psychology).

Influence (Psychology)--Social aspects.

Influence (Psychology).

Trust.

Belief and doubt.

Decision making.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

xix, 364 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2020]

Summary:

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. 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.

Not 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.

Contents:

1 The Case for Gullibility p. 1

2 Vigilance in Communication p. 15

3 Evolving Open-Mindedness p. 30

4 What to Believe? p. 47

5 Who Knows Best? p. 63

6 Who to Trust? p. 78

7 What to Feel? p. 95

8 Demagogues, Prophets, and Preachers p. 113

9 Propagandists, Campaigners, and Advertisers p. 128

10 Titillating Rumors p. 146

11 From Circular Reporting to Supernatural Beliefs p. 166

12 Witches' Confessions and Other Useful Absurdities p. 181

13 Futile Fake News p. 199

14 Shallow Gurus p. 217

15 Angry Pundits and Skillful Con Men p. 240

16 The Case against Gullibility p. 257.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691178707

0691178704

OCLC:

1099689542