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Black-and-White Thinking: The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World
A groundbreaking and timely book about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking.
Several million years ago, natural selection equipped us with binary, black-and-white brains. Though the world was arguably simpler back then, it was in many ways much more dangerous. Not coincidentally, the binary brain was highly adept at detecting risk: the ability to analyze threats and respond to changes in the sensory environment--a drop in temperature, the crack of a branch--was essential to our survival as a species.
Since then, the world has evolved--but we, for the most part, haven't. Confronted with a panoply of shades of gray, our brains have a tendency to "force quit: " to sort the things we see, hear, and experience into manageable but simplistic categories. We stereotype, pigeon-hole, and, above all, draw lines where in reality there are none. In our modern, interconnected world, it might seem like we are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges we face--that living with a binary brain is like trying to navigate a teeming city center with a map that shows only highways.
In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn't be able to play the game.
Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three "super categories"--fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong--and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our gray matter to see that gray really does matter.
Several million years ago, natural selection equipped us with binary, black-and-white brains. Though the world was arguably simpler back then, it was in many ways much more dangerous. Not coincidentally, the binary brain was highly adept at detecting risk: the ability to analyze threats and respond to changes in the sensory environment--a drop in temperature, the crack of a branch--was essential to our survival as a species.
Since then, the world has evolved--but we, for the most part, haven't. Confronted with a panoply of shades of gray, our brains have a tendency to "force quit: " to sort the things we see, hear, and experience into manageable but simplistic categories. We stereotype, pigeon-hole, and, above all, draw lines where in reality there are none. In our modern, interconnected world, it might seem like we are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges we face--that living with a binary brain is like trying to navigate a teeming city center with a map that shows only highways.
In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn't be able to play the game.
Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three "super categories"--fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong--and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our gray matter to see that gray really does matter.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2021
140 people are currently reading
3072 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Dutton
10 books283 followersDr Kevin Dutton is a researcher at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, and a member of the Oxford Centre for Emotions and Affective Neuroscience (OCEAN) research group.
He regularly publishes in leading international scientific journals and speaks at conferences around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 30, 2020
This book has a powerful thesis - namely that we cannot avoid thinking in binary categories . as the author says at the end - drawing lines is what helps us make decisions and guide us through a life of complexity. But this is precisely the problem- we create categories and see the world according to categories; even more so in the modern world of identity politics/wars. However life is a continuum and is complex. And being too entrenched in ones categories can cause democracies to fail, dictatorships to raise.
But the problem the book has is a. it says so in too many (and often meandering) ways which make it hard to follow the main thesis; and it does not quite offer a way forward . How can we learn to accept the continuum, to be open to reframing and not only if we are supersuaded by great orators?
But the problem the book has is a. it says so in too many (and often meandering) ways which make it hard to follow the main thesis; and it does not quite offer a way forward . How can we learn to accept the continuum, to be open to reframing and not only if we are supersuaded by great orators?
August 27, 2020
Black and White Thinking: The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World is a groundbreaking and timely book about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking. Several million years ago, natural selection equipped us with binary, black-and-white brains. Though the world was arguably simpler back then, it was in many ways much more dangerous. Not coincidentally, the binary brain was highly adept at detecting risk: the ability to analyze threats and respond to changes in the sensory environment--a drop in temperature, the crack of a branch--was essential to our survival as a species. Since then, the world has evolved--but we, for the most part, haven't. Confronted with a panoply of shades of grey, our brains have a tendency to "force quit: " to sort the things we see, hear, and experience into manageable but simplistic categories. We stereotype, pigeon-hole, and, above all, draw lines where in reality there are none. In our modern, interconnected world, it might seem like we are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges we face--that living with a binary brain is like trying to navigate a teeming city centre with a map that shows only highways.
In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn't be able to play the game. Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three "super categories"--fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong--and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our grey matter to see that grey really does matter.
This is an absolutely fascinating read by a prominent psychologist who usually specialises in psychopathy but this is very much a departure from that topic. It's structured well, is full of fascinating information and you can tell that extensive research went into crafting the entirety of the book. There is so much to intrigue between these pages that will have your cogs whirring and you ruminating on the ideas presented. Although Dr Dutton could easily have explored this subject in such a way that a layperson or someone new to psychology and this field of study would struggle to comprehend, I feel this has been written in a straightforward and easily understandable fashion and is accessible to anyone with an interest in psychology, the psyche and the reality of our behaviour. That said, it is quite a dense read, but I was so engrossed and engaged that I went racing through it rather rapidly. If you wish to know more about the way in which our brains work when confronted with different situations then this is well worth your time; in fact, I'd recommend this highly to anyone interested in psychology. A compelling and eminently readable book. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC.
In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn't be able to play the game. Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three "super categories"--fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong--and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our grey matter to see that grey really does matter.
This is an absolutely fascinating read by a prominent psychologist who usually specialises in psychopathy but this is very much a departure from that topic. It's structured well, is full of fascinating information and you can tell that extensive research went into crafting the entirety of the book. There is so much to intrigue between these pages that will have your cogs whirring and you ruminating on the ideas presented. Although Dr Dutton could easily have explored this subject in such a way that a layperson or someone new to psychology and this field of study would struggle to comprehend, I feel this has been written in a straightforward and easily understandable fashion and is accessible to anyone with an interest in psychology, the psyche and the reality of our behaviour. That said, it is quite a dense read, but I was so engrossed and engaged that I went racing through it rather rapidly. If you wish to know more about the way in which our brains work when confronted with different situations then this is well worth your time; in fact, I'd recommend this highly to anyone interested in psychology. A compelling and eminently readable book. Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC.
July 24, 2021
I couldn't finish this, it was too boring. I agree with another reviewer (Armin Samii) who said this whole book can be summed up by "Sometimes it’s useful to categorize things into discrete buckets. Sometimes this causes problems."
As an activist and content creator I was excited to read some deep theory about how our brains work and how we can utilize that in the way we communicate, but unfortunately this books is stuffed full of unnecessary, meandering stories and it stays on a too basic level to really do much past its initial thesis. If you have the time and are a fast reader, I guess you could give it a go, but if you have limited time and brain-space for reading like me, best to skip it. I'm sure there's an essay/article out there that's much shorter and has as much useful information.
As an activist and content creator I was excited to read some deep theory about how our brains work and how we can utilize that in the way we communicate, but unfortunately this books is stuffed full of unnecessary, meandering stories and it stays on a too basic level to really do much past its initial thesis. If you have the time and are a fast reader, I guess you could give it a go, but if you have limited time and brain-space for reading like me, best to skip it. I'm sure there's an essay/article out there that's much shorter and has as much useful information.
June 19, 2022
Let me start this off by saying, I hope I don‘t pick up another book like this.
There‘s a category - hell, even a whole genre - of men in science that write books that end up exactly like this one. I don‘t care with whom you‘re drinking coffee or who was impressed by talking to you, my friend. I don‘t care for your journey on how you discovered what you believe to be ground-breaking - at least not if 250 out of your 300 pages are about that. Also, spoiler alert, not everyone who reads your book is of the same culture, race and gender as you.
What this specific book lacks is structure and content. The appendix was more informative than the actual content. The author blesses us with 2015 instagram wisdom a la ‚people setting the punctuation for the sentence: a woman(:/,) without her (,) man is nothing’ and ‚the positioning of the word ONLY in the sentence: she told him that she loved him‘ or the amazing philosophic question of what colour does a tennis ball have.
What did I learn? Well, in a side note it was mentioned that extroverts seem to talk more in extremes than introverts. Also, usVSthem, rightVSwrong, fightVSflight are old levers for persuasion. However, 300 pages is a lot considering this is my only key takeaway.
There‘s a category - hell, even a whole genre - of men in science that write books that end up exactly like this one. I don‘t care with whom you‘re drinking coffee or who was impressed by talking to you, my friend. I don‘t care for your journey on how you discovered what you believe to be ground-breaking - at least not if 250 out of your 300 pages are about that. Also, spoiler alert, not everyone who reads your book is of the same culture, race and gender as you.
What this specific book lacks is structure and content. The appendix was more informative than the actual content. The author blesses us with 2015 instagram wisdom a la ‚people setting the punctuation for the sentence: a woman(:/,) without her (,) man is nothing’ and ‚the positioning of the word ONLY in the sentence: she told him that she loved him‘ or the amazing philosophic question of what colour does a tennis ball have.
What did I learn? Well, in a side note it was mentioned that extroverts seem to talk more in extremes than introverts. Also, usVSthem, rightVSwrong, fightVSflight are old levers for persuasion. However, 300 pages is a lot considering this is my only key takeaway.
April 29, 2021
Black and White Thinking (2020) examines the human brain’s irresistible impulse to sort things into binary categories: black and white, good and evil, right and wrong.
The instinct to categorize is strong – and we have evolution to thank for it. But while categorization helped us survive in ancient times – when every trip into the forest was life or death – it’s become an obstacle in the modern world.
Today, life’s rarely black-and-white, but often shades of gray.
The instinct to categorize is strong – and we have evolution to thank for it. But while categorization helped us survive in ancient times – when every trip into the forest was life or death – it’s become an obstacle in the modern world.
Today, life’s rarely black-and-white, but often shades of gray.
April 12, 2021
Some very interesting information and science presented here, but it was repetitive and overwritten with a few too many winking political jabs. I had to slog through the end.
October 18, 2024
I wanted to like this book, the general theme of how categorization draws lines between entities and how there is actually shades of grey between such delineations was hardly a breakthrough idea but it was interesting at times. Though if saw him chirp brightly 'hey, Facebook has 70+ genders!' one more time my head might have exploded right there on the pages where it was written, repeatedly. So yes, he beat his theme to death at times while also presenting some interesting related research in a slew of psychological areas however tangential. The always fascinating work of Kahneman and Tversky is cited several times in areas related to how people behave (loss avoidance, framing, etc.). The ruminations on linguistic determination or the relationship between language and thought were interesting citing Orwell and his early recognition of linguistic trends perhaps leading to totalitarian control ('those who cannot think for themselves will have their thinking done for them'). He does not ignore the increasing influence of technology on virtually every existent trend noting that the smart phone has become 'an uncertainty reduction engine'. A long discourse on the nature and components on framing and effective persuasion (supersuasion) follows, with the rather ominous statement 'Who we are determines what we see'. Seems sort of common sense but I guess that is a breakthrough thought for Dutton.
When Dutton starts lecturing on political lines (which may have been the point of the entire book) it started downhill for me as he steadily abandons the notion of grey and suddenly it really is just black and white! The treasured open mind miraculously closes! (see Appendix II for the cognitive closure 'test' or the Open vs. the Closed Mind--btw I scored an 11, supposedly in fully Open category). For a man eager to efface boundaries and lines, he makes quite clear what 'US' group he belongs to and in the predictable 'not a surprise' category he places himself proudly in the Trump Derangement camp, repeatedly. You see, ONLY Trump said mean things about people in this world, never Hilary (deplorables and worse) or Obama ('bitter clingers'), oh maybe Nigel Farage did. Only Trump wants to create 'binary' divisions, never a Democrat! Ignore that 'identity' politics is literally the core of the Democrat party. But he really steps in it with his nauseating praise for the Covid-19 fiasco acting as if government (s) were a source of pure truth and honesty. On nearly every major point their 'narrative' has been debunked but apparently Dutton never noticed. Social distancing was meaningless, masks next to useless, Covid almost certainly DID originate in a Chinese lab and the vaccinations were of dubious efficacy for almost anyone under 60 and often harmful to boot (see his defense of the narrative on pp. 290-91). He also wades into the George Floyd and Michael Brown travesties with the eagerness of the most committed MSNBC flunky. It was nauseating but the essence of this man (and all his cronies) is summed up on page 292: 'Devolved, decentralized reality is just as bad as its authoritarian, state-sponsored counterpart'. NO, Mr. Dutthead it is not 'just as bad'. The 'decentralized' people are the ones shouting on Twitter and waving a few flags around (or perhaps burning them as they see fit). States have unimaginably sophisticated spying and surveillance capabilities, an army of investigators, paid informants, federal police, prosecutors, prisons, and actual armies. States start wars under utterly false (often made up) information routinely--see Gulf of Tonkin, 1964 or Colin Powell at the UN, 2003 for a few recent examples. States lie, distort, deceive and invent 'truths' with a regularity and mendacity that is far beyond the means of the most ardent social media trolls. I can guarantee Dutton sides with such recent pronouncements of Hilary 'a failure to more aggressively remove online content has led to a loss of “total control.” or John Kerry 'the First Amendment is “a major block to be able to just, you know, hammer [disinformation] out of existence.”. These are the people I am sure he admires. No thank you, I'll take the other side of whatever side they are on--no grey area at all. I started off with 3-stars was down to 1-star by the final chapter but will mark up 1 for the useful appendices and references to a book nearly ruined with his political musings.
When Dutton starts lecturing on political lines (which may have been the point of the entire book) it started downhill for me as he steadily abandons the notion of grey and suddenly it really is just black and white! The treasured open mind miraculously closes! (see Appendix II for the cognitive closure 'test' or the Open vs. the Closed Mind--btw I scored an 11, supposedly in fully Open category). For a man eager to efface boundaries and lines, he makes quite clear what 'US' group he belongs to and in the predictable 'not a surprise' category he places himself proudly in the Trump Derangement camp, repeatedly. You see, ONLY Trump said mean things about people in this world, never Hilary (deplorables and worse) or Obama ('bitter clingers'), oh maybe Nigel Farage did. Only Trump wants to create 'binary' divisions, never a Democrat! Ignore that 'identity' politics is literally the core of the Democrat party. But he really steps in it with his nauseating praise for the Covid-19 fiasco acting as if government (s) were a source of pure truth and honesty. On nearly every major point their 'narrative' has been debunked but apparently Dutton never noticed. Social distancing was meaningless, masks next to useless, Covid almost certainly DID originate in a Chinese lab and the vaccinations were of dubious efficacy for almost anyone under 60 and often harmful to boot (see his defense of the narrative on pp. 290-91). He also wades into the George Floyd and Michael Brown travesties with the eagerness of the most committed MSNBC flunky. It was nauseating but the essence of this man (and all his cronies) is summed up on page 292: 'Devolved, decentralized reality is just as bad as its authoritarian, state-sponsored counterpart'. NO, Mr. Dutthead it is not 'just as bad'. The 'decentralized' people are the ones shouting on Twitter and waving a few flags around (or perhaps burning them as they see fit). States have unimaginably sophisticated spying and surveillance capabilities, an army of investigators, paid informants, federal police, prosecutors, prisons, and actual armies. States start wars under utterly false (often made up) information routinely--see Gulf of Tonkin, 1964 or Colin Powell at the UN, 2003 for a few recent examples. States lie, distort, deceive and invent 'truths' with a regularity and mendacity that is far beyond the means of the most ardent social media trolls. I can guarantee Dutton sides with such recent pronouncements of Hilary 'a failure to more aggressively remove online content has led to a loss of “total control.” or John Kerry 'the First Amendment is “a major block to be able to just, you know, hammer [disinformation] out of existence.”. These are the people I am sure he admires. No thank you, I'll take the other side of whatever side they are on--no grey area at all. I started off with 3-stars was down to 1-star by the final chapter but will mark up 1 for the useful appendices and references to a book nearly ruined with his political musings.
September 14, 2022
A very decent read that, again, resembles an addendum to McGilchrist. Seriously, if you look at the past 6 or so books that I’ve finished since reading that titan, you might even get inspired to read him. Who knows, you might even do so!
Dutton starts from the assumption that our brains are categorising, line-drawing, black and white-looking-for organs but that’s not quite right. It makes more sense to say that our left hemispheres can be categorized (lol) as such and, inherent within the totality of these amazing locomotion engines lies a push and pull between a black-and-white brain and a gray one, between the left hemisphere and the right one; and they are not equal. “There are two types of people in the world; those who think that there are two types of people in the world and those who disagree.”
Reality is a blooming, buzzing confusion consisting of various amorphous continua, but if we ever want to take action in this world of uncertainty, we necessarily need to dissect it into bite-sized morsels that admit of relative certainty.
Categorization is an instinct that starts early for us; by 4 months old we’re already sorting the outside world into boxes. A fundamental question that Dutton tries to answer, throughout the course of the whole book, is this: what level of categorization is considered optimal for greatest efficiency within the course of our everyday lives? The short, predictable, and boring answer is: it depends. Sometimes we need very fine, detailed, scrupulous, meticulous, fastidious, annoyingly-exact, scalpel-like precision and other times its like meh. It’s up to you to decide on the time/cost analysis; how much do you actually gain by increasing the level of categorization?
NOT ALL CATEGORIES ARE EQUAL: There are some categories that are better (at a specific task) than others and, further, not all instances within that category are equal either. Take ‘red’; there are some instances of red that are better examples of what it means to be ‘red’, like cherry red or lipstick red, closer as it were to the prototype. Within categories, there are the central cases and, increasingly blurrier as you leave the center, the penumbra where certain colours cannot be considered prototypically red anymore.
JUST BECAUSE BOUNDARIES ARE BLURRY IS NO REASON TO SUSPECT THAT CATEGORIES DON’T EXIST: All category boundaries are blurry, necessarily so, because reality is composed of various spectra that must be carved up by the LH in order to make reality ‘workable’. But just because it’s not precisely possible to tell when one thing begins and another ends, doesn’t mean to say that there are no differences between them. Remember reality is best described by the twin prongs of integration and, crucially for this argument, differentiation. Just because there is no clear point at which a heap becomes a non-heap, or vice versa, does not mean to suggest that there is no difference between a heap and a non-heap. This applies to various political disagreements that far-lefties and far-righties both get wrong (by virtue of their farness.) Just because you cannot explicitly delineate the category of man and woman does not mean that men and women, as differentiated categories, don’t exist. Neither does it mean that there actually is a clear dividing line, if only we searched hard enough for it. “Human categorization of the world is not the arbitrary product of historical accident or metaphysical whimsy. It’s the evolutionary end point of a rigorous biological selection process, the aim of which is to derive maximum information from minimum cognitive effort”
THE FUNCTION of LANGUAGE: Without the ability to categorise and discriminate, the world would cease to exist. Everything, and therefore nothing, would be salient and we would be left drifting along in a world of meaninglessness because of an over abundance of meaning. Language serves to be able to point to something, to make something salient at the expense of everything that we’re not pointing to; that which we ignore is therefore just as crucial as that which we point to, even if we’re not aware of it. But just as we can’t underdo it, we similarly can’t overdo it; too much categorisation and salience-making means, again, that nothing is salient! It’s a bit like when you’re studying by highlighting the important parts of a text; I’ve seen people highlight almost all of a whole chapter which defeats the whole purpose of highlighting! Incidentally, that’s the point at which we find ourselves today, we’re highlighting too many things, going far too deep into our categorisation game, and consequently losing sight of the big picture, getting ourselves lost in the Kafkaesque maze of bureaucracy.
COGNTIIVE CLOSURE: What is the secret to garnering the right amount of information, to sorting reality into optimal chunks and the right categories? Cognitive closure is the desire that each of us has to hold onto fixed beliefs in order to keep all of the uncertainty at bay. Thinking is good … until it isn’t. Unless you have some sort of mechanism that allows you to stop thinking in order to take action, you’ll be cogitating endlessly until you finally wake up from your stupor in the mental hospital. The bottom line is: there has to be a bottom line. Even if it’s arbitrary. Even if we could technically refine our categories. Even if we could make something that little bit better. And the mechanism is an extension of the fight or flight instinct; at a certain point, driven by circumstance, driven by intuition, imagination, and reason, we have to be able to reach a “bedrock” and say: this is where I will build my church. It’s not perfect, but nothing is, and since I need to build something, if I start from the premise that the bedrock has to be unassailable, then I’ll never build anything and freeze to death. Therefore this bedrock is good enough! People’s definitions of ‘good enough’ will, obviously, differ, and that paves the pay for endless argumentation. But that describes the basic outlines of what needs to occur at the very least.
PERSUASION: Language holds the key for making certain phenomena more salient; but seeing what we say is one thing whereas getting others to see what we say … that’s persuasion. And this is where framing enters the picture. I think it goes without saying that what you say is essential to what you’re trying to achieve; if you want to convince someone of the truth, then you have to know what the truth actually consists in. But just as important, if not moreso, is how you communicate your message. Negotiation and persuasion are all about building a relationship with the other agents in situations where it’s difficult to do so. And what separates the good negotiators and persuaders from the bad? Good ones communicate; it’s a two-way street, they empathise, listen, understand, and then try to shift your attention to a new way of seeing things. Bad ones broadcast; they ignore your perhaps valid contribution in favour of their own, denying you your agency but, also, their own persuasive abilities. Frames signpost what the owners believe to be salient and, at its core, persuasion is nothing other than getting people to see things in a different light, of getting them to approach the issue from a different, more amenable angle.
SUPERFRAMES: What if it emerged that there are certain superframes which made the presentation of our cases much easier because they align with the grooves that have been etched into our brains by the evolutionary process itself? Turns out there are: Fight vs Flight, Us vs Them, and Right vs Wrong. Interestingly, Dutton provides us with an evolutionary timeline to explain the emergence of these frames, from deep in our past till today. Starting with Fight vs Flight, this emerged with the earliest brains some 500,000,000 years ago and can be equated with the reptilian stem, in the tripartite brain. Following from that we have the emergence of the Us vs Them thinking, the limbic system, which emerged at some point since our split from chimpanzees about 6,000,000 years ago, thanks to our social nature. Lastly, there’s the Right vs Wrong, which were cultural mores and dictated what was acceptable behaviour and which was not, requiring ever finer shades of discrimination thanks to our neocorteces, the final layer superimposed on top of the other two. If we can frame our arguments in terms of fight vs flight, us vs them, and right vs wrong, namely if we can make our interlocutors see that what we’re doing is right, for the benefit of us, and is either a call to arms or a call to flee, then we’ve already got a leg up on the persuasive competition.
Dutton starts from the assumption that our brains are categorising, line-drawing, black and white-looking-for organs but that’s not quite right. It makes more sense to say that our left hemispheres can be categorized (lol) as such and, inherent within the totality of these amazing locomotion engines lies a push and pull between a black-and-white brain and a gray one, between the left hemisphere and the right one; and they are not equal. “There are two types of people in the world; those who think that there are two types of people in the world and those who disagree.”
Reality is a blooming, buzzing confusion consisting of various amorphous continua, but if we ever want to take action in this world of uncertainty, we necessarily need to dissect it into bite-sized morsels that admit of relative certainty.
Categorization is an instinct that starts early for us; by 4 months old we’re already sorting the outside world into boxes. A fundamental question that Dutton tries to answer, throughout the course of the whole book, is this: what level of categorization is considered optimal for greatest efficiency within the course of our everyday lives? The short, predictable, and boring answer is: it depends. Sometimes we need very fine, detailed, scrupulous, meticulous, fastidious, annoyingly-exact, scalpel-like precision and other times its like meh. It’s up to you to decide on the time/cost analysis; how much do you actually gain by increasing the level of categorization?
NOT ALL CATEGORIES ARE EQUAL: There are some categories that are better (at a specific task) than others and, further, not all instances within that category are equal either. Take ‘red’; there are some instances of red that are better examples of what it means to be ‘red’, like cherry red or lipstick red, closer as it were to the prototype. Within categories, there are the central cases and, increasingly blurrier as you leave the center, the penumbra where certain colours cannot be considered prototypically red anymore.
JUST BECAUSE BOUNDARIES ARE BLURRY IS NO REASON TO SUSPECT THAT CATEGORIES DON’T EXIST: All category boundaries are blurry, necessarily so, because reality is composed of various spectra that must be carved up by the LH in order to make reality ‘workable’. But just because it’s not precisely possible to tell when one thing begins and another ends, doesn’t mean to say that there are no differences between them. Remember reality is best described by the twin prongs of integration and, crucially for this argument, differentiation. Just because there is no clear point at which a heap becomes a non-heap, or vice versa, does not mean to suggest that there is no difference between a heap and a non-heap. This applies to various political disagreements that far-lefties and far-righties both get wrong (by virtue of their farness.) Just because you cannot explicitly delineate the category of man and woman does not mean that men and women, as differentiated categories, don’t exist. Neither does it mean that there actually is a clear dividing line, if only we searched hard enough for it. “Human categorization of the world is not the arbitrary product of historical accident or metaphysical whimsy. It’s the evolutionary end point of a rigorous biological selection process, the aim of which is to derive maximum information from minimum cognitive effort”
THE FUNCTION of LANGUAGE: Without the ability to categorise and discriminate, the world would cease to exist. Everything, and therefore nothing, would be salient and we would be left drifting along in a world of meaninglessness because of an over abundance of meaning. Language serves to be able to point to something, to make something salient at the expense of everything that we’re not pointing to; that which we ignore is therefore just as crucial as that which we point to, even if we’re not aware of it. But just as we can’t underdo it, we similarly can’t overdo it; too much categorisation and salience-making means, again, that nothing is salient! It’s a bit like when you’re studying by highlighting the important parts of a text; I’ve seen people highlight almost all of a whole chapter which defeats the whole purpose of highlighting! Incidentally, that’s the point at which we find ourselves today, we’re highlighting too many things, going far too deep into our categorisation game, and consequently losing sight of the big picture, getting ourselves lost in the Kafkaesque maze of bureaucracy.
COGNTIIVE CLOSURE: What is the secret to garnering the right amount of information, to sorting reality into optimal chunks and the right categories? Cognitive closure is the desire that each of us has to hold onto fixed beliefs in order to keep all of the uncertainty at bay. Thinking is good … until it isn’t. Unless you have some sort of mechanism that allows you to stop thinking in order to take action, you’ll be cogitating endlessly until you finally wake up from your stupor in the mental hospital. The bottom line is: there has to be a bottom line. Even if it’s arbitrary. Even if we could technically refine our categories. Even if we could make something that little bit better. And the mechanism is an extension of the fight or flight instinct; at a certain point, driven by circumstance, driven by intuition, imagination, and reason, we have to be able to reach a “bedrock” and say: this is where I will build my church. It’s not perfect, but nothing is, and since I need to build something, if I start from the premise that the bedrock has to be unassailable, then I’ll never build anything and freeze to death. Therefore this bedrock is good enough! People’s definitions of ‘good enough’ will, obviously, differ, and that paves the pay for endless argumentation. But that describes the basic outlines of what needs to occur at the very least.
PERSUASION: Language holds the key for making certain phenomena more salient; but seeing what we say is one thing whereas getting others to see what we say … that’s persuasion. And this is where framing enters the picture. I think it goes without saying that what you say is essential to what you’re trying to achieve; if you want to convince someone of the truth, then you have to know what the truth actually consists in. But just as important, if not moreso, is how you communicate your message. Negotiation and persuasion are all about building a relationship with the other agents in situations where it’s difficult to do so. And what separates the good negotiators and persuaders from the bad? Good ones communicate; it’s a two-way street, they empathise, listen, understand, and then try to shift your attention to a new way of seeing things. Bad ones broadcast; they ignore your perhaps valid contribution in favour of their own, denying you your agency but, also, their own persuasive abilities. Frames signpost what the owners believe to be salient and, at its core, persuasion is nothing other than getting people to see things in a different light, of getting them to approach the issue from a different, more amenable angle.
SUPERFRAMES: What if it emerged that there are certain superframes which made the presentation of our cases much easier because they align with the grooves that have been etched into our brains by the evolutionary process itself? Turns out there are: Fight vs Flight, Us vs Them, and Right vs Wrong. Interestingly, Dutton provides us with an evolutionary timeline to explain the emergence of these frames, from deep in our past till today. Starting with Fight vs Flight, this emerged with the earliest brains some 500,000,000 years ago and can be equated with the reptilian stem, in the tripartite brain. Following from that we have the emergence of the Us vs Them thinking, the limbic system, which emerged at some point since our split from chimpanzees about 6,000,000 years ago, thanks to our social nature. Lastly, there’s the Right vs Wrong, which were cultural mores and dictated what was acceptable behaviour and which was not, requiring ever finer shades of discrimination thanks to our neocorteces, the final layer superimposed on top of the other two. If we can frame our arguments in terms of fight vs flight, us vs them, and right vs wrong, namely if we can make our interlocutors see that what we’re doing is right, for the benefit of us, and is either a call to arms or a call to flee, then we’ve already got a leg up on the persuasive competition.
April 24, 2022
The idea that we are evolutionary programmed to think in black and white terms is an important one to consider and debate, so I think Dutton shows courage in taking the task on.
But for me, his prose is simply too difficult to parse.
You see, he deals heavily in metaphor, analogy, alliteration, and clever wordplay. So much so that it's like reading two things at once: on the one hand you have to figure out the point he's trying to make, while on the other you have to untangle the fancy comparisons and too-big words he's using to do it.
I'll give you an example: "These simple principles of primeval categorization comprised a three-lane cognitive thoroughfare upon which our treacherous evolutionary road trip through natural selection's wild, unpredictable bandit country ever so circuitously unfolded."
Reading that exhausts me. I just want to know what he thinks, but it seems like he's at least as concerned with showing off how smart he is. But I think this topic is too important, and too complicated, to weigh down with obfuscating writing. I wish Dutton were more straightforward.
If you like clever wordplay and plenty of comparison, you may like this book. If you want to work really hard to learn about black and white thinking, you might like this book.
Otherwise, find something else to read.
But for me, his prose is simply too difficult to parse.
You see, he deals heavily in metaphor, analogy, alliteration, and clever wordplay. So much so that it's like reading two things at once: on the one hand you have to figure out the point he's trying to make, while on the other you have to untangle the fancy comparisons and too-big words he's using to do it.
I'll give you an example: "These simple principles of primeval categorization comprised a three-lane cognitive thoroughfare upon which our treacherous evolutionary road trip through natural selection's wild, unpredictable bandit country ever so circuitously unfolded."
Reading that exhausts me. I just want to know what he thinks, but it seems like he's at least as concerned with showing off how smart he is. But I think this topic is too important, and too complicated, to weigh down with obfuscating writing. I wish Dutton were more straightforward.
If you like clever wordplay and plenty of comparison, you may like this book. If you want to work really hard to learn about black and white thinking, you might like this book.
Otherwise, find something else to read.
April 27, 2021
Sometimes it’s useful to categorize things into discrete buckets. Sometimes this causes problems.
I’m not sure I gained much more from this book than that.
This problem is very well studied in many mathematical and logical fields: draw a threshold too low, and you have some false positives. Draw it too high, and you have false negatives. Humans do this, computers do this, and there are going to be issues on the boundary.
The book has some pretty interesting stories and references studies I was unfamiliar with. For example: if you give someone the choice between receiving an electric shock every time they press a button, or only being shocked occasionally, they will prefer certainty to ambiguity even though it results in more pain.
Unfortunately, I feel like too-strong conclusions are drawn from stories and studies like this one.
I do like the idea of the book, i just feel it could have been more focused.
I’m not sure I gained much more from this book than that.
This problem is very well studied in many mathematical and logical fields: draw a threshold too low, and you have some false positives. Draw it too high, and you have false negatives. Humans do this, computers do this, and there are going to be issues on the boundary.
The book has some pretty interesting stories and references studies I was unfamiliar with. For example: if you give someone the choice between receiving an electric shock every time they press a button, or only being shocked occasionally, they will prefer certainty to ambiguity even though it results in more pain.
Unfortunately, I feel like too-strong conclusions are drawn from stories and studies like this one.
I do like the idea of the book, i just feel it could have been more focused.
January 30, 2021
Ok. I didn’t get the depth I hoped for but some key takeaways was worth the relative short read. Let’s just say our brains want to place things into categories and struggle with the idea of the many shades of gray which dominate our world. Or rainbow. Or spectrum of wireless frequencies! Or political views! Great case studies. Definitely worth reading. Not sure why the 3.6 average on good reads. Need an expectation setting before any book reading!
Read this if you want to have an honest perspective at your opinions and those around you. It’s just not that simple Ever. Challenge every decision.
Read this if you want to have an honest perspective at your opinions and those around you. It’s just not that simple Ever. Challenge every decision.
December 21, 2020
Warum kategorisiert unser Gehirn? Warum sehen wir nur schwarz oder weiß und nicht die gräulichen Töne dazwischen?
Was ist Sorites Paradox und inwiefern erklärt dieses Phänomen unsere nicht-Fähigkeit die Nuancen zu sehen?
In diesem Buch lernt man viel über kognitive Dissonanzen!
Was ist Sorites Paradox und inwiefern erklärt dieses Phänomen unsere nicht-Fähigkeit die Nuancen zu sehen?
In diesem Buch lernt man viel über kognitive Dissonanzen!
July 1, 2021
This is a fascinating compilation of research on our evolutionarily black-and-white-thinking brain, and how it is tantamount to our survival while also creating conundrums in our modern day complex and maddeningly greyscale world. The discussion often centers around categories and the problems with over-categorizing (resulting in bigotry, for example) and under-categorizing (resulting in chaos). Some axioms taken from this discussion--We generally have a stronger desire to avoid loss than to pursue gain. Your ability to persuade depends on your creativity in framing an argument. Dutton gives lots of advice about persuasion and use of ambiguity vs. certainty.
Dutton proposes three ancestral super-categories: Fight vs. Flight, Us vs. Them, and Right vs. Wrong. The effective persuader uses all three. Used in conjunction with the S.P.I.C.E. model of influence, one's effectiveness strengthens: Simplicity, Perceived self-interest, Incongruity (unexpected juxtapositions), Confidence, and Empathy. He uses the example of Donald Trump tweeting a picture of himself while aboard Airforce 1, smiling happily with a bucket of KFC on his lap. Brilliant branding--his fans loved it. Dutton points out though, that this image does not appeal to everyone. However, Trump never aimed to capture everyone's approval. He was catering to a specific base of people that feels disenfranchised and "forgotten." And his continuous theme was a divisive stream of Us vs. Them.
Kevin Dutton is a British psychologist and so many of the examples he used were from British life experiences and politics (like Brexit), although he is also an astute observer of American politics, as well, and many stories, like the one mentioned above, hit home.
I thought the most interesting section dealt with cognitive dissonance and how we deal with it, with a brain that craves cognitive consistency. Rationalization has to occur, either by adopting various strategies that distort our perception (like "sour grapes"), or even choosing to believe blatant lies. Dutton cites information about Brexit that--after it was passed, and people started realizing the many problems that it evoked--even so, hypothetical polls showed they'd vote the same way (because they knew it couldn't be reversed) and some were still quite adamant about "Leave."
Some interesting gems about categorization that are worth remembering: First, categorization is fundamental to survival (fight vs flight). Second, it is often unconscious. Third, it is hallucinogenic. We don't necessarily categorize what we see: We SEE what we categorize. Dutton cited studies that showed policemen (and people in general) are more likely to see a gun in a black person's hand than in a white person's hand. And therefore more likely--in a split-second situation-- to shoot a black person who is unarmed than a white person who is unarmed. This is distressing information, given that much of this bias is going on unconsciously. Dutton does not propose a remedy for this scenario and implies that perhaps there is none.
This book is very readable, although some of the explanations are a bit convoluted, and it's sometimes repetitive. Mostly, though, it is both engrossing and engaging--combining psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology to explain our thinking and behavior in today's world.
Dutton proposes three ancestral super-categories: Fight vs. Flight, Us vs. Them, and Right vs. Wrong. The effective persuader uses all three. Used in conjunction with the S.P.I.C.E. model of influence, one's effectiveness strengthens: Simplicity, Perceived self-interest, Incongruity (unexpected juxtapositions), Confidence, and Empathy. He uses the example of Donald Trump tweeting a picture of himself while aboard Airforce 1, smiling happily with a bucket of KFC on his lap. Brilliant branding--his fans loved it. Dutton points out though, that this image does not appeal to everyone. However, Trump never aimed to capture everyone's approval. He was catering to a specific base of people that feels disenfranchised and "forgotten." And his continuous theme was a divisive stream of Us vs. Them.
Kevin Dutton is a British psychologist and so many of the examples he used were from British life experiences and politics (like Brexit), although he is also an astute observer of American politics, as well, and many stories, like the one mentioned above, hit home.
I thought the most interesting section dealt with cognitive dissonance and how we deal with it, with a brain that craves cognitive consistency. Rationalization has to occur, either by adopting various strategies that distort our perception (like "sour grapes"), or even choosing to believe blatant lies. Dutton cites information about Brexit that--after it was passed, and people started realizing the many problems that it evoked--even so, hypothetical polls showed they'd vote the same way (because they knew it couldn't be reversed) and some were still quite adamant about "Leave."
Some interesting gems about categorization that are worth remembering: First, categorization is fundamental to survival (fight vs flight). Second, it is often unconscious. Third, it is hallucinogenic. We don't necessarily categorize what we see: We SEE what we categorize. Dutton cited studies that showed policemen (and people in general) are more likely to see a gun in a black person's hand than in a white person's hand. And therefore more likely--in a split-second situation-- to shoot a black person who is unarmed than a white person who is unarmed. This is distressing information, given that much of this bias is going on unconsciously. Dutton does not propose a remedy for this scenario and implies that perhaps there is none.
This book is very readable, although some of the explanations are a bit convoluted, and it's sometimes repetitive. Mostly, though, it is both engrossing and engaging--combining psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology to explain our thinking and behavior in today's world.
May 3, 2021
Der Autor Kevin Dutton setzt sich in seinem neuen Buch mit dem Konzept unseres Gehirns auseinander. Er befürwortet die Meinung, dass unser Gehirn darauf programmiert ist, schwarz-weiß zu denken, indem es Sachen immer kategorisiert. Bedingt ist dies alles durch unsere Evolution. Jedoch ist diese These seit Jahren evolutionspsychologisch nicht mehr relevant. In diesem Buch stellt sich der Autor diesem Denken und führt auf über 430 Seiten aus, wie man diese evolutionäre Programmierung überwinden kann. Dazu muss man jedoch unser Da-Sein sowie unsere Anlagen wahrnehmen und sie verstehen. Ziel ist es, bessere Entscheidungen in unserem Leben zu treffen.
Würde nicht so viele Thriller und Kriminalromane lesen, würde ich in meiner Freizeit viel mehr Sachbücher lesen, um sich einfach in verschiedenen Bereichen weiterzuentwickeln. Somit bin ich auf dieses interessante Sachbuch gekommen und dachte, dass es bestimmt interessant ist, herauszufinden, wie unser Gehirn auf eine binäre Art und Weise funktioniert. Und das Buch ist auf jeden Fall sehr interessant.
Anhand zahlreicher Alltags- sowie Praxisgeschichten gelingt es dem Autor ein recht theoretisches Thema lebendig darzustellen. Außerdem werden extrem theoretische Themen teilweise mit anschaulichen Karikaturen untermauert. In einer Zeit, in der man viel Stress hat und teilweise das eigene Denken nicht hinterfragt, kommt es in unserem Leben zu schwierigen Entscheidungen. Dutton gelingt es diese Barriere zu zerbrechen und anhand informativer Beispiele etwas dem Leser auf den Weg mitzugeben. Ihm gelang es zudem an manchen Stellen mir die Augen zu öffnen. Ich habe auf jeden Fall viel Neues erfahren, und wurde selbst zur persönlichen Reflexion motiviert.
Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass der Autor mit seinem Werk ein interessantes Buch schreibt, indem er sich mit dem binären Denken eines Menschen auseinandersetzt. Ihm gelingt es wirklich gut neue Theorien einzuleiten und den Leser zur persönlichen Reflexion zu animieren! Für Freunde von psychologischen Sachbüchern ein Must-Read!
Würde nicht so viele Thriller und Kriminalromane lesen, würde ich in meiner Freizeit viel mehr Sachbücher lesen, um sich einfach in verschiedenen Bereichen weiterzuentwickeln. Somit bin ich auf dieses interessante Sachbuch gekommen und dachte, dass es bestimmt interessant ist, herauszufinden, wie unser Gehirn auf eine binäre Art und Weise funktioniert. Und das Buch ist auf jeden Fall sehr interessant.
Anhand zahlreicher Alltags- sowie Praxisgeschichten gelingt es dem Autor ein recht theoretisches Thema lebendig darzustellen. Außerdem werden extrem theoretische Themen teilweise mit anschaulichen Karikaturen untermauert. In einer Zeit, in der man viel Stress hat und teilweise das eigene Denken nicht hinterfragt, kommt es in unserem Leben zu schwierigen Entscheidungen. Dutton gelingt es diese Barriere zu zerbrechen und anhand informativer Beispiele etwas dem Leser auf den Weg mitzugeben. Ihm gelang es zudem an manchen Stellen mir die Augen zu öffnen. Ich habe auf jeden Fall viel Neues erfahren, und wurde selbst zur persönlichen Reflexion motiviert.
Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass der Autor mit seinem Werk ein interessantes Buch schreibt, indem er sich mit dem binären Denken eines Menschen auseinandersetzt. Ihm gelingt es wirklich gut neue Theorien einzuleiten und den Leser zur persönlichen Reflexion zu animieren! Für Freunde von psychologischen Sachbüchern ein Must-Read!
April 28, 2023
The writing is engaging and entertaining, and the philosophies are thought-provoking. Overall, a good and valuable read.
An important issue, though, is that in some cases Dutton comes far too close to excusing oversimplification and unnuanced thought. For example, I understand that his criticism of Facebook's 70 gender options is because so many options nullifies any categorizing usefulness, from a neurological perspective. However, he really only contemplates the usefulness of categories when we're comparing other things to one another, and doesn't really consider the usefulness of extensive category options when we're trying to understand *ourselves.* And I felt the closing chapter on stereotyping made the point that we *have* to stereotype (even though sometimes it means black folks get murdered for no reason) without spending any energy at all on where those specific biases originate and how we might develop more rational and equitable stereotypes such that our split-second fight-or-flight decisions don't so dramatically and disproportionately harm non-whites. Dutton's arguments could be too easily used to justify racism and queerphobia, and he had a responsibility to go the extra mile to undermine that. He didn't.
An important issue, though, is that in some cases Dutton comes far too close to excusing oversimplification and unnuanced thought. For example, I understand that his criticism of Facebook's 70 gender options is because so many options nullifies any categorizing usefulness, from a neurological perspective. However, he really only contemplates the usefulness of categories when we're comparing other things to one another, and doesn't really consider the usefulness of extensive category options when we're trying to understand *ourselves.* And I felt the closing chapter on stereotyping made the point that we *have* to stereotype (even though sometimes it means black folks get murdered for no reason) without spending any energy at all on where those specific biases originate and how we might develop more rational and equitable stereotypes such that our split-second fight-or-flight decisions don't so dramatically and disproportionately harm non-whites. Dutton's arguments could be too easily used to justify racism and queerphobia, and he had a responsibility to go the extra mile to undermine that. He didn't.
September 15, 2022
Boring. Should have been shorter.
September 10, 2022
,,Ce spui e important. Cum spui acel lucru e si mai important. E esential ca mesajul tau sa fie credibil. E insa si mai important ca el sa para credibil".
,,Manipularea nu inseamna sa-i determini pe oameni sa faca ce nu vor sa faca. Manipularea inseamna sa le oferi un motiv sa faca ceea ce vor sa faca".
,,Manipularea nu inseamna sa-i determini pe oameni sa faca ce nu vor sa faca. Manipularea inseamna sa le oferi un motiv sa faca ceea ce vor sa faca".
August 28, 2021
The destination is a familiar one but the Road taken was the one less travelled.
The whole structure of human argument or aggression or protest falls under Fight or flight; Us vs Them; Right or wrong
We are imbued with black and white thinking and there is grey area where we can move to understand the situation better but we never will.
The categorization is a topic which we have moved on. When a group of people started applying categorization they would have been thrilled with the new concept but when the same idea falls into habit, it means nothing special.
Most of the writers dig into our present familiar habits and go back to find where it started and how it helped humans.
Nothing special as well, not boring but the style of his writing was more confusing because of his attempt to display his vocabulary and domination of proudness in his writing. he doesn't need to present cramped sentences and you will find it throughout this book.
Finally,
A decent book to read!
The whole structure of human argument or aggression or protest falls under Fight or flight; Us vs Them; Right or wrong
We are imbued with black and white thinking and there is grey area where we can move to understand the situation better but we never will.
The categorization is a topic which we have moved on. When a group of people started applying categorization they would have been thrilled with the new concept but when the same idea falls into habit, it means nothing special.
Most of the writers dig into our present familiar habits and go back to find where it started and how it helped humans.
Nothing special as well, not boring but the style of his writing was more confusing because of his attempt to display his vocabulary and domination of proudness in his writing. he doesn't need to present cramped sentences and you will find it throughout this book.
Finally,
A decent book to read!
November 22, 2021
Right vs. wrong. Good vs. Bad. Us vs. Them. Black vs. White - All of us succumb to black and white thinking, and for many years, it was one of the biggest issues I had. I struggled so much with being able to see the nuances of situations, which ruined my relationships as well as many other aspects of my life. After years of working on myself, I've learned to see the gray areas, and it's helped me become more empathetic and tolerant of people and situations, but I'm always trying to learn more. So, when I saw that Kevin Dutton had this new book coming out in 2021, I marked my calendar and bought it the first day.
I fell in love with Kevin Dutton's work after reading his book Wisdom of Psychopaths, which teaches us that not all psychopaths are bad, and there's a spectrum. In this book, Dutton is extremely thorough and uses psychology and philosophy to help the reader understand why we're designed for black and white thinking, the pros and cons, and what we can all do about it. I hope many people read this book because I guarantee you'll walk away a more tolerant and understanding person. Not everyone is either good or bad, and neither is every situation. Sometimes, it's something in between.
2nd read:
Kevin Dutton is an amazing author, and I read this book as soon as it came out. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about black and white thinking and how people often don’t see the nuance of situations. I believe this is a major issue that leads to a lot of the polarization we see, and if you read this book, it’ll definitely change the way you view people and situations. One of the things I love about this book is how much it makes you think about so many different topics because Dutton asks questions and pulls from a lot of philosophical thought experiments. By the time you finish this book, you’ll see that it’s rare that situations are as black and white as we initially think.
I fell in love with Kevin Dutton's work after reading his book Wisdom of Psychopaths, which teaches us that not all psychopaths are bad, and there's a spectrum. In this book, Dutton is extremely thorough and uses psychology and philosophy to help the reader understand why we're designed for black and white thinking, the pros and cons, and what we can all do about it. I hope many people read this book because I guarantee you'll walk away a more tolerant and understanding person. Not everyone is either good or bad, and neither is every situation. Sometimes, it's something in between.
2nd read:
Kevin Dutton is an amazing author, and I read this book as soon as it came out. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about black and white thinking and how people often don’t see the nuance of situations. I believe this is a major issue that leads to a lot of the polarization we see, and if you read this book, it’ll definitely change the way you view people and situations. One of the things I love about this book is how much it makes you think about so many different topics because Dutton asks questions and pulls from a lot of philosophical thought experiments. By the time you finish this book, you’ll see that it’s rare that situations are as black and white as we initially think.
June 2, 2021
Als ich dieses Buch zum ersten Mal geöffnet habe, fühlte ich mich sofort wie erschlagen. Ganze 827 Seiten hat dieses Buch als eBook. Aber keine Angst, Leute: Nur etwa die Hälfte davon ist das wirkliche Buch. Der Rest sind die Quellen, der Anhang und so weiter. Also falls ihr wie ich zu Leuten gehört, die sich von der Dicke eines Sachbuchs abschrecken lassen, wenn es nicht gerade ein Thema ist, in dem ich mich eh schon auskenne: Ihr müsst keine Angst haben!
Dieses Thema finde ich spannend, gerade weil ich selbst kein Unschuldslamm bin, was Schwarz-Weiß-Denken angeht. Im Gegenteil: Ich muss meine Meinungen und Ansichten regelmäßig aktiv hinterfragen, damit ich nicht in dieses Muster hineinfallen. Und trotzdem kommt es immer wieder vor, dass man mich auf mein Schwarz-Weiß-Denken aufmerksam macht. Laut diesem Buch bin ich nicht die einzige, die dieses Problem hat - und natürlich führt das zu gesellschaftlichen Spannungen. Dutton erklärt in diesem Buch, wie diese Art des Denkens überhaupt entsteht und warum es früher wichtig war und auch heute noch teilweise wichtig ist. Das fand ich schon mal spannend und einen guten Einstieg ins Buch. Dann geht's ans Eingemachte! Dutton präsentiert Argumente, Experimente und Praxisbeispiele, die beweisen, warum die Welt eben nicht schwarz-weiß ist. Und er erklärt, wie das unser Leben und unsere Gesellschaft beeinflusst.
Das Buch war über weite Teile gut und sehr interessant geschrieben, an einigen wenigen Stellen zog sich der Text aber ein bisschen. Meistens war er aber wie gesagt gut geschrieben.
Mein Fazit? Spannendes Sachbuch, durch das ich viel Neues lernen konnte.
Dieses Thema finde ich spannend, gerade weil ich selbst kein Unschuldslamm bin, was Schwarz-Weiß-Denken angeht. Im Gegenteil: Ich muss meine Meinungen und Ansichten regelmäßig aktiv hinterfragen, damit ich nicht in dieses Muster hineinfallen. Und trotzdem kommt es immer wieder vor, dass man mich auf mein Schwarz-Weiß-Denken aufmerksam macht. Laut diesem Buch bin ich nicht die einzige, die dieses Problem hat - und natürlich führt das zu gesellschaftlichen Spannungen. Dutton erklärt in diesem Buch, wie diese Art des Denkens überhaupt entsteht und warum es früher wichtig war und auch heute noch teilweise wichtig ist. Das fand ich schon mal spannend und einen guten Einstieg ins Buch. Dann geht's ans Eingemachte! Dutton präsentiert Argumente, Experimente und Praxisbeispiele, die beweisen, warum die Welt eben nicht schwarz-weiß ist. Und er erklärt, wie das unser Leben und unsere Gesellschaft beeinflusst.
Das Buch war über weite Teile gut und sehr interessant geschrieben, an einigen wenigen Stellen zog sich der Text aber ein bisschen. Meistens war er aber wie gesagt gut geschrieben.
Mein Fazit? Spannendes Sachbuch, durch das ich viel Neues lernen konnte.
May 17, 2023
Am descoperit cartea participând la o provocare si titlul m-a determinat sa o cumpăr!
Mi-a placut introducerea și cum a evoluat, insa spre final a inceput sa mi se para ușor greoaie, în special datorita exemplelor multiple la fiecare capitol. Putea fi o carte putin mai scurta,părerea mea!
Ca puncte in plus, am învățat multe lucruri noi, "paradoxul soriților " mi s-a parut foarte interesant.
De asemenea,autorul analizează gandirea în alb și negru din mai multe puncte de vedere, cum împărțim totul din jurul nostru pe categorii pentru a ne face viata mai ușoară.
Ni se explica "principiul Goldilocks" si "tezaurizatorii" (indivizii care au dificultăți în a își grupa pe categorii lucrurile din casă percepand mai puține elemente comune între ele și astfel considerând unele obiecte mai speciale,mai greu de înlocuit și în ultima instanta mai greu de aruncat.)
Aceasta categorie de persoane percep lumea în "cioburi de alb și negru nu în nuanțe. "
Va recomand cartea pentru multe alte informații interesante, despre numere,culori, gandirea în alb și negru de-a lungul secolelor, cum percepe creierul nostru o anumita situație...unde se termina albul si unde incepe negrul....cine a trasat acea linie dintre ele si daca a facut-o corect ...o carte care te pune pe ganduri.
Mi-a placut introducerea și cum a evoluat, insa spre final a inceput sa mi se para ușor greoaie, în special datorita exemplelor multiple la fiecare capitol. Putea fi o carte putin mai scurta,părerea mea!
Ca puncte in plus, am învățat multe lucruri noi, "paradoxul soriților " mi s-a parut foarte interesant.
De asemenea,autorul analizează gandirea în alb și negru din mai multe puncte de vedere, cum împărțim totul din jurul nostru pe categorii pentru a ne face viata mai ușoară.
Ni se explica "principiul Goldilocks" si "tezaurizatorii" (indivizii care au dificultăți în a își grupa pe categorii lucrurile din casă percepand mai puține elemente comune între ele și astfel considerând unele obiecte mai speciale,mai greu de înlocuit și în ultima instanta mai greu de aruncat.)
Aceasta categorie de persoane percep lumea în "cioburi de alb și negru nu în nuanțe. "
Va recomand cartea pentru multe alte informații interesante, despre numere,culori, gandirea în alb și negru de-a lungul secolelor, cum percepe creierul nostru o anumita situație...unde se termina albul si unde incepe negrul....cine a trasat acea linie dintre ele si daca a facut-o corect ...o carte care te pune pe ganduri.
July 17, 2023
O versiune mai slaba a Intelepciunii psihopatilor.
January 22, 2023
Jakiś czas temu wpadłam w poradniki i czytałam je praktycznie jeden po drugim. Okazje do kolejnych tytułów pojawiały się praktycznie same dzięki propozycjom wydawniczym od Wydawnictwa Muza i miałam to szczęście natknąć się na kilka przyjemnych tytułów. Jak to zwykle bywa, pomiędzy kilkoma świetnymi tytułami zawsze musi znaleźć się taki, który odbiega od reszty w jedną lub w drugą stronę. Gdzie odbiegło ,,Myślenie czarno-białe” i czy to bardziej poradnik czy reportaż? Tego do końca nie jestem pewna.
,,Binarny mózg jako balast w skomplikowanym świecie” – brzmi tajemniczo i poważnie prawda? I taka też jest kolejna książka od Kevina Duttona.
,,Porządkowanie i kategoryzowanie jest wpisane w nasz instynkt. Jesteśmy zaprogramowani do rozgraniczania i szufladkowania w binarnym trybie czerni i bieli. Właśnie tak działa ludzki mózg. Imigrant czy uchodźca? Muzułmanian czy chrześcijanin? Oni czy my?
Zamiast wychodzić naprzeciw obcym, zbliżamy się do tych, którzy są podobni do nas. Zamiast rewidować nasze postrzeganie świata, staramy się tylko potwierdzać to, w co wierzymy. W rezultacie różnice między skrajnymi poglądami stają się jeszcze większe. A niebezpieczeństwa czyhają na każdym kroku. ISIS. Rasizm. Brexit. Trump. Ciągłe rozumowanie w trybie binarnym sprawia, że zatracamy zdolność racjonalnego myślenia i zamiast odcieni szarości widzimy świat w tonacji czarno-białej.
Myślenie czarno-białe to alarmujące przesłanie w obliczu nasilającej się nietolerancji kulturowej, politycznego ekstremizmu i rozszalałej pandemii. Jednak autor dowodzi, że jeśli poznamy nasze ewolucyjne uwarunkowania, zdołamy pokonać przeciwności i zrozumieć otaczający nas świat, a w przyszłości będziemy podejmować bardziej wyważone decyzje.”
Nie można tej książce odjąć ważności podejmowanych tematów, które ciągle aktualne rozgrzewają tabloidy i stacje telewizyjne praktycznie na całym świecie. W rosnących napięciach i konfliktach coraz bardziej widocznych w otaczającym na świecie potrzebne są książki, które by wyjaśniały dlaczego jesteśmy uwarunkowani tak a nie inaczej, dlaczego tak bardzo chcemy dzielić się na ,,my” i ,,oni”, na ,,obcych” i ,,swoich” czy na ,,tych” i ,,tamtych”. Potrzebne są książki, które będą tłumaczyć dlaczego nie powinniśmy patrzeć tak wąsko jak jesteśmy przyzwyczajeni. Potrzebne są takie książki, które w rozsądny, ale przede wszystkim przystępny sposób przedstawią fakty i podadzą argumenty. Przystępny i ciekawy oczywiście. W tym właśnie momencie wchodzi Kevin Dutton (autor między innymi książki pod tytułem ,,Mądrość Psychopatów”), który bezbłędnie potrafi odkryć schematy w ludzkich zachowaniach i wpisać je w wachlarz swoich licznych anegdotek. Niestety nie zauważyłam by w ,,Myśleniu czarno-białym” autor przedstawił temat w ani w jasny ani w przejrzysty czy przyjemny sposób. Lektura tej książki powodowała u mnie fale notorycznego zmęczenia do tego stopnia, że po zaledwie dwóch stronach zaczynałam ziewać i walczyć z sennością. Czytając tę książkę w metrze nawet udawało mi się przegapić moją stację, przez to, że przymykałam przy niej oko (wiecie, szybka dwuminutowa drzemka w drodze do/z pracy xD)
Ale poważnie, czy to jest zła książka? Nie, oczywiście, że nie. Według mnie jest po prostu przeładowana i poprowadzona w zbyt naukowy sposób, by zwykły czytelnik zainteresowanych tematem wyciągnął z niej wszystko co autor ma do zaoferowania. Naukowe podejście autora to zarówno plus jak i minus całej tej historii. Autor przytacza zabawne anegdotki ze swojej podróży, podczas której zbierał materiał do ,,Myślenia czarno-białego”, cytuje wypowiedzi osób, z którymi się spotykał, przybliża ich punkty widzenia, które jednocześnie stanowią argumenty w tej książce. Jednak całość przypomina raczej pracę naukową, rozprawę doktorską lub baaardzo obszerny reportaż niż poradnik dla takiego laika jak ja.
Podobała mi się ta mnogość historyjek i anegdotek, ale umieszczenie tego tak głęboko w odmętach naukowych twierdzeń i definicji sprawiało tylko tyle, że od ich nadmiaru bolała mnie głowa. Nie chcę oceniać tej książki negatywnie, ale zupełnie pozytywnej oceny też jej nie mogę dać. Myślę, że to jedna z tych książek, które muszą trochę poleżeć na półce aby nabrać mocy. To jedna z takich książek, do których trzeba po prostu się odpowiednio przygotować aby nie pozostawała dla nas w większości nierozwiązywalną tajemnicą. Kiedyś wrócę do tego tytułu i dam Wam znać, jak i czy w ogóle zmieniły się moje odczucia ;)
Z perspektywy zwykłego czytelnika, takiego, który nie zna się kompletnie na zaproponowanych przez ten tytuł tematów nie będzie to pomocna książka oczywiście nie ujmując jej w jej ważności.
Dla kogoś siedzącego w temacie i szukającego rozszerzenia wiedzy – jak najbardziej będzie to tytuł wpisany w spektrum zainteresowań psychologią i ludzkich, schematycznych zachowań.
Za egzemplarz bardzo dziękuję wydawnictwu MUZA!
,,Binarny mózg jako balast w skomplikowanym świecie” – brzmi tajemniczo i poważnie prawda? I taka też jest kolejna książka od Kevina Duttona.
,,Porządkowanie i kategoryzowanie jest wpisane w nasz instynkt. Jesteśmy zaprogramowani do rozgraniczania i szufladkowania w binarnym trybie czerni i bieli. Właśnie tak działa ludzki mózg. Imigrant czy uchodźca? Muzułmanian czy chrześcijanin? Oni czy my?
Zamiast wychodzić naprzeciw obcym, zbliżamy się do tych, którzy są podobni do nas. Zamiast rewidować nasze postrzeganie świata, staramy się tylko potwierdzać to, w co wierzymy. W rezultacie różnice między skrajnymi poglądami stają się jeszcze większe. A niebezpieczeństwa czyhają na każdym kroku. ISIS. Rasizm. Brexit. Trump. Ciągłe rozumowanie w trybie binarnym sprawia, że zatracamy zdolność racjonalnego myślenia i zamiast odcieni szarości widzimy świat w tonacji czarno-białej.
Myślenie czarno-białe to alarmujące przesłanie w obliczu nasilającej się nietolerancji kulturowej, politycznego ekstremizmu i rozszalałej pandemii. Jednak autor dowodzi, że jeśli poznamy nasze ewolucyjne uwarunkowania, zdołamy pokonać przeciwności i zrozumieć otaczający nas świat, a w przyszłości będziemy podejmować bardziej wyważone decyzje.”
Nie można tej książce odjąć ważności podejmowanych tematów, które ciągle aktualne rozgrzewają tabloidy i stacje telewizyjne praktycznie na całym świecie. W rosnących napięciach i konfliktach coraz bardziej widocznych w otaczającym na świecie potrzebne są książki, które by wyjaśniały dlaczego jesteśmy uwarunkowani tak a nie inaczej, dlaczego tak bardzo chcemy dzielić się na ,,my” i ,,oni”, na ,,obcych” i ,,swoich” czy na ,,tych” i ,,tamtych”. Potrzebne są książki, które będą tłumaczyć dlaczego nie powinniśmy patrzeć tak wąsko jak jesteśmy przyzwyczajeni. Potrzebne są takie książki, które w rozsądny, ale przede wszystkim przystępny sposób przedstawią fakty i podadzą argumenty. Przystępny i ciekawy oczywiście. W tym właśnie momencie wchodzi Kevin Dutton (autor między innymi książki pod tytułem ,,Mądrość Psychopatów”), który bezbłędnie potrafi odkryć schematy w ludzkich zachowaniach i wpisać je w wachlarz swoich licznych anegdotek. Niestety nie zauważyłam by w ,,Myśleniu czarno-białym” autor przedstawił temat w ani w jasny ani w przejrzysty czy przyjemny sposób. Lektura tej książki powodowała u mnie fale notorycznego zmęczenia do tego stopnia, że po zaledwie dwóch stronach zaczynałam ziewać i walczyć z sennością. Czytając tę książkę w metrze nawet udawało mi się przegapić moją stację, przez to, że przymykałam przy niej oko (wiecie, szybka dwuminutowa drzemka w drodze do/z pracy xD)
Ale poważnie, czy to jest zła książka? Nie, oczywiście, że nie. Według mnie jest po prostu przeładowana i poprowadzona w zbyt naukowy sposób, by zwykły czytelnik zainteresowanych tematem wyciągnął z niej wszystko co autor ma do zaoferowania. Naukowe podejście autora to zarówno plus jak i minus całej tej historii. Autor przytacza zabawne anegdotki ze swojej podróży, podczas której zbierał materiał do ,,Myślenia czarno-białego”, cytuje wypowiedzi osób, z którymi się spotykał, przybliża ich punkty widzenia, które jednocześnie stanowią argumenty w tej książce. Jednak całość przypomina raczej pracę naukową, rozprawę doktorską lub baaardzo obszerny reportaż niż poradnik dla takiego laika jak ja.
Podobała mi się ta mnogość historyjek i anegdotek, ale umieszczenie tego tak głęboko w odmętach naukowych twierdzeń i definicji sprawiało tylko tyle, że od ich nadmiaru bolała mnie głowa. Nie chcę oceniać tej książki negatywnie, ale zupełnie pozytywnej oceny też jej nie mogę dać. Myślę, że to jedna z tych książek, które muszą trochę poleżeć na półce aby nabrać mocy. To jedna z takich książek, do których trzeba po prostu się odpowiednio przygotować aby nie pozostawała dla nas w większości nierozwiązywalną tajemnicą. Kiedyś wrócę do tego tytułu i dam Wam znać, jak i czy w ogóle zmieniły się moje odczucia ;)
Z perspektywy zwykłego czytelnika, takiego, który nie zna się kompletnie na zaproponowanych przez ten tytuł tematów nie będzie to pomocna książka oczywiście nie ujmując jej w jej ważności.
Dla kogoś siedzącego w temacie i szukającego rozszerzenia wiedzy – jak najbardziej będzie to tytuł wpisany w spektrum zainteresowań psychologią i ludzkich, schematycznych zachowań.
Za egzemplarz bardzo dziękuję wydawnictwu MUZA!
November 14, 2024
Cognitive neuroscientist Kevin Dutton explores the human tendency to categorize information and experiences, often in a binary or "black and white" manner. This book delves into the reasons behind this inclination, its impact on our decision-making, and how it can both help and hinder us in navigating the complexities of the modern world.
Dutton begins by explaining the evolutionary basis of categorization. Our brains are wired to categorize information to make sense of the world around us. This ability to quickly categorize threats and make fight-or-flight decisions was crucial for the survival of our ancestors. However, in today's world, this tendency can lead to rigid thinking and an inability to appreciate nuance.
The book highlights the problem of "grey areas" that defy simple categorization. Many real-world issues, such as abortion or the definition of a "mountain," do not have clear-cut answers. Ignoring these grey areas can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and even harmful consequences.
Dutton also discusses the concept of "need for cognitive closure," which refers to the desire for certainty and clear-cut answers. People with a high need for cognitive closure tend to see the world in black and white terms, while those with a low need for cognitive closure are more comfortable with ambiguity and shades of grey.
The book further explores the influence of tribalism on our thinking. Tribalism, or the tendency to favor our own group over others, can distort our perception of reality and lead to prejudice and discrimination. Dutton cites studies showing how racial bias can affect split-second decisions, such as in a video game where participants were quicker to shoot armed black suspects than armed white ones.
Another important concept discussed is the impact of language on our thinking. Dutton argues that extreme language can lead to extreme thinking. He conducted a study where participants who used extreme adjectives in their conversations tended to think in a more extreme way. This has implications for how we understand and discuss complex issues, such as depression or political debates.
Dutton begins by explaining the evolutionary basis of categorization. Our brains are wired to categorize information to make sense of the world around us. This ability to quickly categorize threats and make fight-or-flight decisions was crucial for the survival of our ancestors. However, in today's world, this tendency can lead to rigid thinking and an inability to appreciate nuance.
The book highlights the problem of "grey areas" that defy simple categorization. Many real-world issues, such as abortion or the definition of a "mountain," do not have clear-cut answers. Ignoring these grey areas can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and even harmful consequences.
Dutton also discusses the concept of "need for cognitive closure," which refers to the desire for certainty and clear-cut answers. People with a high need for cognitive closure tend to see the world in black and white terms, while those with a low need for cognitive closure are more comfortable with ambiguity and shades of grey.
The book further explores the influence of tribalism on our thinking. Tribalism, or the tendency to favor our own group over others, can distort our perception of reality and lead to prejudice and discrimination. Dutton cites studies showing how racial bias can affect split-second decisions, such as in a video game where participants were quicker to shoot armed black suspects than armed white ones.
Another important concept discussed is the impact of language on our thinking. Dutton argues that extreme language can lead to extreme thinking. He conducted a study where participants who used extreme adjectives in their conversations tended to think in a more extreme way. This has implications for how we understand and discuss complex issues, such as depression or political debates.
December 17, 2022
Why does our brain categorise?
Why do we only see things in black and white?
The author did an excellent job of researching the human brain's inherent desire to categorise things as black and white, good or evil, right or wrong. The instinct to categorise is so strong that we may be unaware of it at times. This categorising has been revolutionising since the dawn of time. Although this "categorising" enabled human survival in ancient times, it has become an obstacle in the modern scenario because most things are shades of grey rather than black or white. I learnt a lot about cognitive dissonance as well as Sorites Paradox which explains our inability to see nuances. Unputdownable and such an enjoyable read. would definitely pick up "Wisdom of Psychopaths", another book by Dutton afterwards.
Why do we only see things in black and white?
The author did an excellent job of researching the human brain's inherent desire to categorise things as black and white, good or evil, right or wrong. The instinct to categorise is so strong that we may be unaware of it at times. This categorising has been revolutionising since the dawn of time. Although this "categorising" enabled human survival in ancient times, it has become an obstacle in the modern scenario because most things are shades of grey rather than black or white. I learnt a lot about cognitive dissonance as well as Sorites Paradox which explains our inability to see nuances. Unputdownable and such an enjoyable read. would definitely pick up "Wisdom of Psychopaths", another book by Dutton afterwards.
January 15, 2024
The book offers an interesting point and one that I am sure we have all thought of. However, many of the analogies used are pretty mundane and there are just too many analogies used. It can be hard to follow at times. However, I can acknowledge how well researched this book is and the credible sources the author uses.
One other criticism I have, is that while he makes very good points to show the harm and even usefulness of black and white thinking, he just barely touches on real life issues that touch us all. For example, he continuously touches on the expansion of what we once considered the gender binary, but instead of expanding on his view and the harm or good it does us, he brings up another analogy that has no relation to the gender and expects us to expand on what exactly he's saying here.
One other criticism I have, is that while he makes very good points to show the harm and even usefulness of black and white thinking, he just barely touches on real life issues that touch us all. For example, he continuously touches on the expansion of what we once considered the gender binary, but instead of expanding on his view and the harm or good it does us, he brings up another analogy that has no relation to the gender and expects us to expand on what exactly he's saying here.
October 3, 2020
Black and White Thinking is an incredible book, as it goes deeply into human thinking we ourselves aren’t aware of, and explains what seems non-understandable. The author is using really good and mostly contemporary examples to explain, once you understand them, interesting concepts of human thinking. I really enjoyed the examples related to Corona and Brexit, as I noticed the blurred lines in certain decisions and the “lack of logic” in some instances.
I enjoyed learning while I was reading, as a lot of concepts were new for me - I might have stumbled across them but never thought about life in that way. Definitely worth a read and I know I myself will be coming back to this book again in the future.
I enjoyed learning while I was reading, as a lot of concepts were new for me - I might have stumbled across them but never thought about life in that way. Definitely worth a read and I know I myself will be coming back to this book again in the future.
April 22, 2021
Perhaps more interesting than I thought. Two reasons I enjoyed the book:
(a) Provided me with a better understanding of why some people might (seem to) have a black-and-white thinking, and what counter-arguments we can possibly throw in return.
(b) Helped me understand why my own thinking is pretty much never black-and-white, why it might be a struggle sometimes, and kind of situations do require a black-and-white approach to be more decisive.
Structurally, the book follows the typical Story -> Explanation scheme of which I'm becoming more and more tired, but I found the tone pleasant and friendly.
(a) Provided me with a better understanding of why some people might (seem to) have a black-and-white thinking, and what counter-arguments we can possibly throw in return.
(b) Helped me understand why my own thinking is pretty much never black-and-white, why it might be a struggle sometimes, and kind of situations do require a black-and-white approach to be more decisive.
Structurally, the book follows the typical Story -> Explanation scheme of which I'm becoming more and more tired, but I found the tone pleasant and friendly.
December 21, 2021
The world we live in, the choices we make, the stereotypes we use more or less consciously, they are all interconnected.
The approach in “Black and White Thinking” is very interesting, even though the topic is one that has been widely debated, the book’s structure and its realistic examples make it accessible and entertaining, if I may use this word.
If you want to know which elements inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors are used to influence the public in political speeches and TV commercials, you’ll get your answer here. I also felt like the binary structure of the brain and what happens to it when it’s exposed to many choices was explained very well, I could actually picture it.
The approach in “Black and White Thinking” is very interesting, even though the topic is one that has been widely debated, the book’s structure and its realistic examples make it accessible and entertaining, if I may use this word.
If you want to know which elements inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors are used to influence the public in political speeches and TV commercials, you’ll get your answer here. I also felt like the binary structure of the brain and what happens to it when it’s exposed to many choices was explained very well, I could actually picture it.
May 31, 2023
This is an interesting book. It looks at how and why our brains evolved into binary categorisation machines; it was efficient and saved our lives.
Dutton draws out various social and psychological consequences of binary thinking. It leads to over categorisation, prejudice and defensiveness. It is also very useful in terms of persuasion. The latter, however, only becomes evident upon reading the book.
It is very topical, and it does make a change reading a psychology book by an academic from the UK. He discusses topics like Brexit, and explains how concepts can be applied to some of the narratives and behaviour surrounding it.
It’s written in a very accessible tone, and this makes the concepts easy to understand. However, each chapter starts with an anecdote and these get a bit tedious. While these are helpful, it’s over done. Further, while there are references, no in-text citations are provided so finding a reference is not straightforward.
The evolutionary roots are very interesting. He talks about three binary categories - Fight versus Flight. Us versus Them. Right versus Wrong - and how these are key to the decisions we make. Appealing to these can be very effective in terms of persuasion, and he provides real-world examples of how this is done in politics and more generally.
He is politically neutral, but does discuss how identity politics is a case of over categorisation. Our identities are becoming more and more specific, but this means there is more conflict. Our fields are becoming more delineated, but our fences more brittle and our efforts are too focused on maintaining them.
Binary thinking is very beneficial, otherwise it would not have made it through natural selection. However, in today’s world we also need to think in more nuanced ways because the environment is much more complex. The challenge is finding the right setting for the right situation. Sometimes, a broad perspective is required; other times, a more detailed one.
I would recommend this book. It will promote critical thinking on a wide range of issues and may sharpen your thinking. It’s just a shame it wasn’t more concise.
Dutton draws out various social and psychological consequences of binary thinking. It leads to over categorisation, prejudice and defensiveness. It is also very useful in terms of persuasion. The latter, however, only becomes evident upon reading the book.
It is very topical, and it does make a change reading a psychology book by an academic from the UK. He discusses topics like Brexit, and explains how concepts can be applied to some of the narratives and behaviour surrounding it.
It’s written in a very accessible tone, and this makes the concepts easy to understand. However, each chapter starts with an anecdote and these get a bit tedious. While these are helpful, it’s over done. Further, while there are references, no in-text citations are provided so finding a reference is not straightforward.
The evolutionary roots are very interesting. He talks about three binary categories - Fight versus Flight. Us versus Them. Right versus Wrong - and how these are key to the decisions we make. Appealing to these can be very effective in terms of persuasion, and he provides real-world examples of how this is done in politics and more generally.
He is politically neutral, but does discuss how identity politics is a case of over categorisation. Our identities are becoming more and more specific, but this means there is more conflict. Our fields are becoming more delineated, but our fences more brittle and our efforts are too focused on maintaining them.
Binary thinking is very beneficial, otherwise it would not have made it through natural selection. However, in today’s world we also need to think in more nuanced ways because the environment is much more complex. The challenge is finding the right setting for the right situation. Sometimes, a broad perspective is required; other times, a more detailed one.
I would recommend this book. It will promote critical thinking on a wide range of issues and may sharpen your thinking. It’s just a shame it wasn’t more concise.
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