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The Enigma of Reason

A New Theory of Human Understanding
By Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber explores the evolutionary development and purpose of human reason. The authors argue that reason evolved primarily as a social tool, designed more for communication and persuasion in groups than for individual truth-seeking. They delve into the implications of this perspective for understanding human behaviour, decision-making, and rationality.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're curious about how our reasoning abilities have evolved and function, particularly in a social context. It offers intriguing insights into how reason helps us communicate, persuade, and solve problems, challenging traditional views on its role and purpose. Ideal for those fascinated by the intersection of philosophy, cognitive science, and human psychology.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An exploration of human rationality from two ground-breaking thinkers.

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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber has been praised for its engaging narrative and vivid examples. Reviewers have found its central thesis—explaining human irrationality through the argumentative theory of reason—both sharp and compelling. The book challenges traditional views, providing a fresh perspective on human reasoning and counteracting widely accepted dual-process models.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241957851

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 April 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 299g

Pages: 416

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About the Author

Hugo Mercier (Author) Hugo Mercier is a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, working in the Cognitive Science Institute Marc Jeannerod in Lyon. Dan Sperber (Author) Dan Sperber is a researcher in the departments of Cognitive Science and of Philosophy at the Central European University, Budapest, and in the Institut Jean Nicod at the cole Normale Superieure, Paris.

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