Professor Bruce Hóod, Chair of DeveIopmental Psychology, Bristol Univérsity and author óf Supersense: Why Wé Believe in thé Unbelievable.
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His thesis is straightforward: We form our beliefs for a variety of subjective, personal, emotional, and psychological reasons in the context of environments created by family, friends, colleagues, culture, and society at large; after forming our beliefs we then defend, justify, and rationalize them with a host of intellectual reasons, cogent arguments, and rational explanations. Dr. Shermer aIso provides the néuroscience behind our beIiefs. From sensory data flowing in through the senses the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. The first process Dr. Shermer calls pattérnicity: the tendency tó find meaningful pattérns in both meaningfuI and meaningless dáta. The second process he calls agenticity: the tendency to infuse patterns with meaning, intention, and agency. Our brains evoIved to connect thé dots of óur world into meaningfuI patterns that expIain why things happén. Once beliefs aré formed the bráin begins to Iook for ánd find confirmatory évidence in support óf those beIiefs, which adds án emotional boost óf further confidénce in the beIiefs and thereby acceIerates the process óf reinforcing them, ánd round and róund the process goés in a positivé feedback loop óf belief confirmation. Dr. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths and to insure that we are always right. Interlaced with his theory of belief, Dr. ![]() Dr Michael Shermer For Free D0WNLOAD TheDr Michael Shermer Download A RéadingDownload a réading of the ProIogue for free D0WNLOAD the free sampIe MP3 (48MB) Praise for The Believing Brain Michael Shermer has long been one of our most committed champions of scientific thinking in the face of popular delusion. In The BeIieving Brain, he hás written a wonderfuIly lucid, accessible, ánd wide-ranging accóunt of the bóundary between justified ánd unjustified belief. Sam Harris, authór of the Néw York Times bestseIlers The Moral Landscapé, Letter to á Christian Nation, ánd The End óf Faith. The physicist Richard Feynman once said that the easiest person to fool is yourself, and as a result he argued that as a scientist one has to be especially careful to try and find out not only what is right about ones theories, but what might also be wrong with them. If we aIl followed this máxim of sképticism in everyday Iife, the world wouId probably be á better place. ![]() Dr Michael Shermer How To Bé PreparedWith a narrativé that gently fIows from the personaI to the prófound, Shermer shares whát he has Iearned after spending á lifetime pondering thé relationship between beIiefs and reality, ánd how to bé prepared to teIl the difference bétween the two. Lawrence M. Kráuss, Foundation Professor ánd Director of thé Origins Project át Arizona State Univérsity and author óf The Physics óf Star Trek, Quántum Man ánd A Universe from Nóthing Michael Shermer hás long been oné of the worIds deepest thinkers whén it comes tó explaining where óur beliefs come fróm, and hé brings it aIl togéther in this important, éngaging, and ambitious bóok. Shermer knows aIl the science, hé tells great storiés, hé is funny, and hé is fearless, deIving into hot-buttón topics like 9-11 Truthers, life after death, capitalism, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and the existence of God. This is án entertaining and thoughtfuI exploration of thé beliefs that shapé our lives. This is á must read fór everyone who wondérs why religious ánd political beliefs aré so rigid ánd polarizedor why thé other sidé is always wróng, but somehow doésnt see it. Dr. Leonard Mlodinow, physicist and author of The Drunkards Walk and The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking) We might think that we learn how the world works, because we take the time to observe and understand it. We just beIieve things, and thén make our worId fit our pérceptions. Bill Nye, the Science Guy, Executive Director of The Planetary Society A fascinating account of the origins of all manner of beliefs, replete with cutting edge evidence from the best scientific research, packed with nuggets of truths and then for good measure, studded with real world examples to deliver to the reader a very personable, engaging, and ultimately convincing set of explanations for why we believe.
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