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The Believing Brain
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The Believing Brain (2011) (edit title/settings)

From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

by Michael Shermer (Author) (edit contributors)

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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... read more

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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... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

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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First Sentence edit see section history

The 1990s' Uber-conspiracy theory television series the X-files was a decade-defining and culture-reflecting mosh pit of UFOs, extraterrestrials, physics, demons, monsters, mutants, shape-shifters, serial killers, paranormal phenomena, urban legands turned real, corporate cabals and government cover-ups, and leakages that include a Deep Throat-like "cigarette smoking man" character played, ironically, by real-life skeptic William B. Davis.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Prologue: I Want to Believe

Part 1: Journeys of Belief
1. Mr. D'Arpino's Dilemma
2. Dr. Collin's Conversion
3. A Skeptic's Journey

Part 2: The Biology of Belief
4. Patternicity
5. Agenticity
6. The Believing Neuron

Part 3: Belief in Things Unseen
7. Belief in the Afterlife
8. Belief in God
9. Belief in Aliens
10. Belief in Conspiracies

Part 4: Belief in Things Seen
11. Politics of Belief
12. Confirmations of Belief
13. Geographies of Belief
14. Cosmologies of Belief

Epilogue: The Truth is Out There
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Michael Shermer (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Times Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 24, 2011
ISBN: 0805091254
Page Count: 400

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