Good Thinking: Seven Powerful Ideas That Influence the Way We ThinkDo you know what economists mean when they refer to you as a "rational agent"? Or why a psychologist might label your idea a "creative insight"? Or how a philosopher could be logical but also passionate in persuading you to obey "moral imperatives"? Or why scientists disagree about the outcomes of experiments comparing drug treatments and disease risk factors? After reading this book, you will be wiser in two ways: You will know how the best and brightest thinkers judge the ways we decide, argue, solve problems, and tell right from wrong. But you will also understand why, when we don't meet these standards, it is not always a bad thing. The answers are rooted in the way the human brain has been wired over evolutionary time to make us kinder and more generous than economists think we ought to be, and more resistant to change and persuasion than scientists and scholars think we ought to be. |
Contents
one Introduction | 1 |
two Game Theory | 5 |
three Rational Choice | 31 |
four Moral Decision Making | 59 |
five The Game of Logic | 80 |
six What Causes What? | 99 |
seven Hypothesis Testing | 115 |
eight Problem Solving | 138 |
nine Analogical Reasoning | 168 |
185 | |
197 | |
Other editions - View all
Good Thinking: Seven Powerful Ideas That Influence the Way We Think Denise D. Cummins Limited preview - 2021 |
Good Thinking: Seven Powerful Ideas That Influence the Way We Think Denise D. Cummins Limited preview - 2012 |
Good Thinking: Seven Powerful Ideas That Influence the Way We Think Denise D. Cummins Limited preview - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
action active algorithm altruism analogical reasoning analogy argument asked behave behavior beliefs bias brain breast cancer called categorical imperative causal cause choice choose co-worker cognitive colleagues conclusion cooperation covariation decision defect depression described diamonds discs effect emotional evidence example experiment frequently game theory Gigerenzer given goal heuristics human Hume hypothesis testing inference insight John Kant light-bulb logic mammogram match means moral judgment moves movie Nash equilibrium neural neurons normal null hypothesis outcome oxytocin patient payoffs people’s play players positive mammogram prefrontal cortex premises prior probability Prisoner’s Dilemma games problem solving propositions punishment rational reciprocal altruism red ball reject reward rule scientists sequential game serotonin showed solution SSRI story strategy Suppose symbols temperature thing tion trolley problems true truth truth function truth-functional Ultimatum game VMPC x-ray problem