Alfred Street (University of Auckland Store)
Are you sure you want to delete this address?
Black And White Thinking : How To Outsmart The Brain Celebrate Nuance And Learn To Think In Technicolour
Paperback Edition: 1
Black and White Thinking is a groundbreaking and timely exploration of how our binary thinking creates polarisation - and what we can do about it.
Our brains are hardwired to sort, categorise and draw lines. It's how we navigate the infinite kaleidoscope of everyday information. But imagine failing an exam by a mere 1 per cent. Or being caught speeding at just 1 mph over the speed limit. It doesn't seem fair. And yet we have to draw the line somewhere, we say, even though lines can be unhelpful or even dangerous when drawn where they aren't wanted, or in too thick a hand.
By thinking in terms of ' 'them' or 'us' and 'this' or 'that' we isolate ourselves from ideas we don't agree with and people who are not the same as us. We fail to listen to the other side of the argument and beliefs become increasingly polarised. Intolerance and extremism flourish. While the human race has survived by thinking in black and white and making binary decisions, such thinking might also destroy us. We may not be programmed to think in shades of grey, but it's the colour of our cognitive future.
In this ground-breaking exploration of how our brains work, Oxford University psychologist Dr Kevin Dutton explains that by understanding the nature of our black and white thinking we are better equipped to negotiate life's grey zones. And that, by doing so, we will make subtler and far smarter decisions.
Pages : 400
Publisher : Bantam
Publication date : 2022-06-15
Subjects: Non-fiction, Social Sciences, Sociology, Psychology, Behavioural Theory (Behaviourism), Intelligence & Reasoning, Social, Group Or Collective Psychology