Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.
Cargando... Caveman Logic: The Persistence of Primitive Thinking in a Modern Worldpor Hank Davis
Cargando...
Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
We see the face of the Virgin Mary staring up at us from a grilled cheese sandwich and sell the uneaten portion of our meal for $37,000 on eBay. While science offers a wealth of rational explanations for natural phenomena, we often prefer to embrace the fantasies that reassured our distant ancestors. And we’ll even go to war to protect our delusions against those who do not share them. These are examples of what evolutionary psychologist Hank Davis calls "Caveman Logic." Although some examples are funny, the condition itself is no laughing matter. In this engagingly written book, Davis encourages us to transcend the mental default settings and tribal loyalties that worked well for our ancestors back in the Pleistocene age. Davis laments a modern world in which more people believe in ESP, ghosts, and angels than in evolution. Superstition and religion get particularly critical treatment, although Davis argues that religion, itself, is not the problem but "an inevitable by-product of how our minds misperform." Davis argues, "It’s time to move beyond the one-size-fits-all, safety and comfort-oriented settings that got our ancestors through the terrifying Pleistocene night." In contrast, Davis advocates a world in which "spirituality" is viewed as a dangerous rather than an admirable quality, and suggests ways in which we can overcome our innate predisposition toward irrationality. He concludes by pointing out that "biology is not destiny." Just as some of us succeed in watching our diets, resisting violent impulses, and engaging in unselfish behavior, we can learn to use critical thinking and the insights of science to guide individual effort and social action in the service of our whole species. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Debates activosNinguno
Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)153.4Philosophy and Psychology Psychology Cognition And Memory Thought, thinking, reasoning, intuition, value, judgmentClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
¿Eres tú?Conviértete en un Autor de LibraryThing. |
Behavioral psychologist Hank Davis reveals his thoughts on why stone age thinking is so pervasive in the 21st Century in his book Caveman Logic. While there is little groundbreaking work here, the book provides a nice exploration of the phenomenon and offers a bit of insight into our mental and behavioral tendencies.
When Davis describes "primitive thinking", he is specifically addressing the widespread beliefs in religious and supernatural events and beings, especially where such beliefs rely on things deemed meaningful despite being coincidental. Coincidence is carefully explored, and Davis explains why humans are so likely to see agency and causal relationships despite possessing only the flimsiest evidence. This behavior dates back to our primitive ancestors who were much more likely to survive if they registered false positives when ascribing events to intentional agents than those who did not (such as seeing "faces", the ancestor who believed a face was staring tended to also run from real predators, whereas the one who did not see the face almost certainly failed to run as often from real threats).
A nice introduction to these concepts which have provided a great deal of support for the theories put forth Richard Dawkins and others, Caveman Logic is an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to consider the reasons for why beliefs in supernatural beings and unreasonable events are so widely and strongly held. Likewise, if someone you know tends to interpret coincidences as something more concrete, this book is a good jumping off point. Four stars. ( )