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Deceit and Self-Deception : Fooling Yourself the Better to Fool Others - Robert Trivers

Deceit and Self-Deception

Fooling Yourself the Better to Fool Others

By: Robert Trivers

eBook | 6 October 2011

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In this foundational book, Robert Trivers seeks to answer one of the most provocative and consequential questions to face humanity: why do we lie to ourselves?

Deception is everywhere in nature. And nowhere more so than in our own species. We humans are especially good at telling others less - or more - than the truth. Why, however, would organisms both seek out information and then act to destroy it? In short, why practice self-deception?

After decades of research, Robert Trivers has at last provided the missing theory to answer these questions. What emerges is a picture of deceit and self-deception as, at root, different sides of the same coin. We deceive ourselves the better to deceive others, and thereby reap the advantages. From space and aviation disasters to warfare, politics and religion, and the anxieties of our everyday social lives, Deceit and Self-Deception explains what really underlies a whole host of human problems. But can we correct our own biases? Are we doomed to indulge in fantasies, inflate our egos, and show off? Is it even a good idea to battle self-deception?

With his characteristically wry and self-effacing wit, Trivers reveals how he finds self-deception everywhere in his own life, and shows us that while we may not always avoid it, we can now at least hope to understand it.

Industry Reviews
This is an enjoyable, thought-provoking book on how our mind systematically creates distorted perceptions of reality and how these distort our presentation of self to others. We construct false internal narratives to present ourselves and our actions in a favorable light, and the same applies to the presentation of 'our side' and the 'other side' in political debates and in intranational and international conflicts. I believe the book is an important contribution to psychology and social science more generally and will undoubtedly stimulate debate on these important questions.
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