"The human mind has evolved to persuade others (and to be skeptical of others' attempts t…

"The human mind has evolved to persuade others (and to be skeptical of others' attempts to persuade it)"

Every year on New Year's II go to the bathhouse with friendsI’m reading a book because I finally have enough time for it📖

This time my choice fell on fresh (2024) work as a science journalistDavid McRaney “And yet it’s flat!”. This is a very interesting science about how we form our beliefs, what underlies our worldviews and why convincing someone is an almost impossible task.🙂🙂

For me, the topic is important and useful, primarily because I am madly in favor of the scientific model of worldview, and, accordingly, critical thinking and skepticism. And I adhere to the idea that truth exists, but a person will not be able to comprehend it until he understands that his entire life, principles and values ​​are formed on the basis of his own life experiences and being in an information bubble that is chosen for him or by himself❄️

And it is precisely this book that gives answers to the question “How and why does this happen?” It covers the reasons why and how the brain generates its own image of reality, and why you can never fully understand the basis of another person's beliefs and values. The work very well describes the process of the emergence of different views and prejudices🙂

The author explores the origin and development of conspiracy theories such as the flat Earth. The book contains many episodes of real interaction with people from sects, hate societies and other destructive groups🙂

What did you like?❤️❤️

The book contains many references to current research in sociology, psychology and neurobiology. The concept of cognitive dissonance, assimilation and accommodation is touched upon. A cool book about an interesting topic, written in accessible language, without academic heaviness. I found the chapter about"deep agitation»- a method that has proven its effectiveness in changing beliefs, which is aimed at the fact that a person himself must find inconsistencies in his judgment, which will cause him to change his views. That is, “from the inside”, not from the outside👔

Is everything so great?🙂

McRaney is a journalist, not a scientist, so some of his conclusions require additional argumentation. He often reduces complex phenomena to something more naive and overly simplified (although not always)🙂

Impressions from the book👍

The book makes you think and think. In my opinion, this is the best thing that can happen when reading any literature. I also liked the aftertaste. I haven’t read anything of such high quality in the direction of scientific pop for a long time. 400 pages flew by in 6 hours unnoticed (but in some places it’s still too long). I can confidently recommend reading it🙂

Subjectively rated 8.5/10

What was the last thing you read? What were your impressions?

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