The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding
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Reason's social function unveiled, challenging intellectual orthodoxy.
You might find "The Enigma of Reason" intriguing if you're drawn to the interplay between psychology and philosophy. Mercier and Sperber dissect reason with a fresh lens, focusing on its social purpose rather than its solitary analytical prowess. This could change how you perceive the evolution of human logic and its role in shaping our convictions and interactions. It's thought-provoking and might just reshape your understanding of reasoning itself.
The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
ISBN: 9781846145575
Publisher: ALLEN LANE
Date of Publication: 2017-04-06
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads rating: 4.13
(rated by 1033 readers)
Description
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.
Condition guide
Book Condition Guide
Books in Like New Condition
This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Very Good Condition
This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Good Condition
We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Well Read Condition
This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
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Reason's social function unveiled, challenging intellectual orthodoxy.
You might find "The Enigma of Reason" intriguing if you're drawn to the interplay between psychology and philosophy. Mercier and Sperber dissect reason with a fresh lens, focusing on its social purpose rather than its solitary analytical prowess. This could change how you perceive the evolution of human logic and its role in shaping our convictions and interactions. It's thought-provoking and might just reshape your understanding of reasoning itself.
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