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From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths
Times Books
June 2011
On Sale: May 24, 2011
400 pages
ISBN: 0805091254
EAN: 9780805091250
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Bestselling author Michael Shermer's comprehensive and
provocative theory on how beliefs are born, formed,
reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished In this work synthesizing thirty years of research,
psychologist, historian of science, and the world's
best-known skeptic Michael Shermer upends the traditional
thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world.
Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs
follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. 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. Our brains connect the
dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why
things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once
beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find
confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which
accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and
round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop of belief
confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools
our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths. Interlaced with his theory of belief, Shermer provides
countless real-world examples of how this process operates,
from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy
theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately,
he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to
determine whether or not a belief matches reality.
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