why facts don't change our minds sparknotes
Its something thats been popping up a lot lately thanks to the divisive 2016 presidential election. In a new book, "The Enigma of Reason" (Harvard), the cognitive scientists Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber take a stab at answering this question. It feels good to stick to our guns even if we are wrong, they observe. Years ago, Ben Casnocha mentioned an idea to me that I havent been able to shake: The people who are most likely to change our minds are the ones we agree with on 98 percent of topics. Renee Klahr In recent years, a small group of scholars has focussed on war-termination theory. Hot Topic Youll find yourself in the middle of a highly debated issue. People's ability to reason is subject to a staggering number of biases. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover. 6, Lets call this phenomenon Clears Law of Recurrence: The number of people who believe an idea is directly proportional to the number of times it has been repeated during the last yeareven if the idea is false. Books resolve this tension. Facts dont change our minds. Reason developed not to enable us to solve abstract, logical problems or even to help us draw conclusions from unfamiliar data; rather, it developed to resolve the problems posed by living in collaborative groups. Kolbert cherry picks studies that help to prove her argument and does not show any studies that may disprove her or bring about an opposing argument, that facts can, and do, change our minds. This lopsidedness, according to Mercier and Sperber, reflects the task that reason evolved to perform, which is to prevent us from getting screwed by the other members of our group. Why_Facts_Dont_Change_Our_Minds - Step 1: Read the New It's complex and deeply contextual, and naturally balances our awareness of the obvious with a sensitivity to nuance. In their groundbreaking account of the evolution and workings of reason, Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber set out to solve this double enigma. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views (prejudices) one would like to be true. This does not sound ideal, so how did we come to be this way? 3. Any deadline. The best thing that can happen to a bad idea is that it is forgotten. In conversation, people have to carefully consider their status and appearance. Humans are irrational creatures. Language, Cognition, and Human Nature: Selected Articles by Steven Pinker, I am reminded of a tweet I saw recently, which said, People say a lot of things that are factually false but socially affirmed. Plus, you can tell your family about Clears Law of Recurrence over dinner and everyone will think youre brilliant. Expand your knowledge with the help of our unique educational platform that delivers only relevant and inspiring content. A few years later, a new set of Stanford students was recruited for a related study. USA. Voters and individual policymakers can have misconceptions. The Gormans, too, argue that ways of thinking that now seem self-destructive must at some point have been adaptive. In marketing, it is essential to have an understanding of the factors that influence people's decision-making processes. You already agree with them in most areas of life. marayam marayam 01/27/2021 English College answered A short summary on why facts don't change our mind by Elizabeth Kolbert 1 See answer Advertisement Advertisement kingclive215 kingclive215 Answer: ndndbfdhcuchcbdbxjxjdbdbdb.