The logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life. The logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life on. That is, that the major function of selfdeception is to better deceive others. The central claim of the book is that selfdeception evolves in the service of deception and the general argument is that we deceive ourselves the better to deceive others. Robert trivers scientific work has concentrated on two areas, social theory based on natural selection of which a theory of self deception is one part and the biology of selfish genetic elements which leads to certain kinds of internal genetic conflicts. Trivers focuses primarily on humans but he includes examples from many other organisms as well. And this strategy, according to the author, is based on our natural instincts, such as selfpreservation and reproductive success. Robert trivers is one of the leading figures pioneering the field of sociobiology. An expert on fools may be his own best subject pressvision.
Leading psychologists explain how trumps selfdelusions. Popular science books such as richard dawkins the selfish gene drew heavily on robert trivers papers. It would not be hyperbole to say that robert trivers is one of the most important evolutionary theorists since charles darwin. One of the great thinkers in the history of western thought steven pinker this is not prof. After decades of research, robert trivers has at last provided the missing theory to answer these questions. Like, erasmus of rotterdam, robert trivers tries to rationalize the existence of deceit and self deception in human life.
Fooling yourself the better to fool others by trivers, robert isbn. The logic of deceit and self deception in human life. Jan 05, 2016 in a sentence in the foreword to dawkins book, he proposed that selfdeception evolved to facilitate the deception of others. The theory of the folly of fools is that we deceive ourselves the better to deceive others. It is the newest book in the robert trivers nonfiction books. Robert triverss new book is a curious document a book about. Revealing, provocative and witty, deceit and selfdeception is one of the most vital books written this century, and will make you rethink everything that you think you know. Harvard book store is glad to welcome sociobiologist robert trivers for a discussion of his newest book, the folly of fools. Biologist robert trivers book the folly of fools tells the manifest ways human beings deceive themselves, from politics and religion to science and everyday life. Jan 07, 2014 however, instead of reexamining christian values, robert trivers goes to the very cell of the living creatures humans, animals, insects, plants, viruses, and bacteria.
Newton, chairman of the black panther party, in 1978 when newton applied while in prison to do a reading course with trivers as part of a graduate degree in history of. Now, decades on, he has arrived at a big, new universal theory, also essentially based on the arithmetic. Only practical topics and amazing books that will have immediate, tangible impact business, career, wealth, networking, leadership, influence, habit building etc. We humans are especially good at telling others less or more than the truth. Book spotlight the folly of fools by robert trivers tom. Dec 25, 2011 an evolutionary biologist investigates why lying and selfdeception play such prominent roles in our lives. According to biologist robert trivers the simple answer is that it helps us have more children. Aug 16, 2012 in the 1970s, a harvard class taught by robert trivers ignited a controversy that would escalate into the sociobiology wars. Not my judgement of this magnificent book, of course, but the fruits of deception and selfdeception, and one reason why the evolutionary biologist robert trivers believes this to be fertile ground for all kinds of enquiry, from fullblown scientific research to more personal reflection. In a sentence in the foreword to dawkins book, he proposed that self deception evolved to facilitate the deception of others.
Trivers has nibbled away at the theme of selfdeception, the subject of this book. Trivers focuses primarily on humans but he includes examples from many other organisms as. The book is enlivened by trivers candid personal style, and is a. Jan 03, 2012 in this foundational book, robert trivers seeks to answer one of the most provocative and consequential questions to face humanity. Arguably, trivers theories are the pillars of evolutionary psychology. Trivers, robert a new york times notable book of 2012 whether its in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office, there are many opportunities to lie and selfdeceivebut deceit and self deception carry the costs of being alienated from reality and can lead to disaster. The logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life basic books. Trivers has nibbled away at the theme of self deception, the subject of this book, for over 30 years. While the first part of the book explains the theory, and the second part discusses how deceit was responsible for all the political and. One book reprinting these papers and how they were written was entitled natural selection and social theory. Is robert trivers deceiving himself about evolutionary psychologys flaws. Robert trivers was the man who produced the unifying theory of kin selection and altruism. Trivers proposed the theories of reciprocal altruism 1971, parental investment 1972, facultative sex ratio determination 1973, and parentoffspring conflict 1974. Selfdeception in human life by robert trivers basic booksbasic books.
For natural selection and social theory, he has selected eleven of his most influential papers, including several classic papers from the early 1970s on the evolution of reciprocal altruism, parentoffspring conflicts, and asymmetry in sexual selection, which helped to establish the centrality of sociobiology, as well as some. According to biologist robert trivers the simple answer is that it. We humans are especially good at telling others less or more. The logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life 2011, basic books, isbn 0465027555 by robert trivers is a book that examines the. Robert trivers uses examples from insects to international relations to guide us to the fundamental logic. And, last but not least, robert trivers has since last year an official site. Why, however, would organisms both seek out information and then act to destroy it. Trivers was excommunicated from the panthers by newton in 1982 for his own good. Books sri lanka makeen online bookstore with millions of. Robert trivers s new book is a curious document a book about deception and self deception that is itself deceptive, in structure, voice and argument. The book is enlivened by trivers candid personal style, and is a pleasure to read.
Jan 06, 2012 is robert trivers deceiving himself about evolutionary psychologys flaws. This book examines not only how we selfdeceive, but also why, taking examples from aviation disasters, con artists, sexual betrayals and conflicts within families. We do it for biological reasonsin order to help us survive and procreate. Because i think you miss the truth about each if you are not conscious of the other and the relationship between the two. Self deception in human life by robert trivers basic booksbasic books. Oct 07, 2011 robert trivers is one of the few scientists able to take command of an evolutionary perspective on subterfuge, and in his new book deceit and selfdeception. Whether its in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office, there are many opportunities to lie and selfdeceivebut deceit and self deception. Robert trivers, author of the oxford book of modern science writing, on librarything librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers home groups talk zeitgeist. The folly of fools by robert trivers 1111 words bartleby. I remember robert trivers, although as he points out in the folly of fools.
Robert trivers books list of books by author robert trivers. What emerges is a picture of deceit and self deception as, at root, different sides of the same coin. In this tedxjamaica talk robert trivers describes the capacity, role and function of deceit and self deception in humans. Nov 04, 2011 harvard book store is glad to welcome sociobiologist robert trivers for a discussion of his newest book, the folly of fools. Leading psychologists explain how trumps selfdelusions and narcissism make him uniquely effective at predatory deception by michael candelori imported from 500px archived version by. It can make you rethink something that you think you know.
Fooling yourself the better to fool others, and social evolution, and more on. According to the book the folly of fools the logic of deceit and self deception in human life, written by robert trivers, we as humans lie to ourselves to better lie to others. In this foundational book, robert trivers seeks to answer one of the most provocative and consequential questions to face humanity. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, ted has created a program called tedx. The folly of fools deceit and self deception by robert trivers fooling yourself the better to fool others in bring your whole self to work, mike robbins pulls back the curtain. I will admit id never heard of trivers before, so i was taken aback by his framing of israel as illustrative of deceit and selfdeception in the form of false historical narratives. The logic of deceit and self deception in human life by robert trivers. Trivers says hed planned to flesh out the theory but didnt.
Thus, the conventional view that natural selection favors nervous systems which produce ever more accurate. Robert trivers is one of the few scientists able to take command of an evolutionary perspective on subterfuge, and in his new book deceit and selfdeception. A new york times notable book of 2012 whether its in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office, there are many opportunities to lie and selfdeceivebut deceit and selfdeception carry the costs of being alienated from reality and can lead to disaster. Sep 05, 2002 robert trivers is a pioneering figure in the field of sociobiology. For us, deceit and selfdeception are two sides of the same coin and trivers covers a huge amount of ground to make his case. Trivers wrote the original foreword to richard dawkins book the selfish gene in which trivers first proposed his adaptive theory of selfdeception. See all books authored by robert trivers, including deceit and self deception. A new york times notable book of 2012 whether its in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office, there are many opportunities to lie and selfdeceivebut deceit and self deception. The logic of deceit and self deception in human life 9780465027552 by trivers, robert and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. In his bold new work, prominent biological theorist robert trivers unflinchingly argues that selfdeception evolved in the service of deceitthe better to fool others. His darwinian theory of selfdeception is arguably his most provocative and interesting idea so far. All of these papers can be downloaded under publications and links to buying books are found under books.
Deceit and selfdeception by robert trivers penguin books. The logic of deceit and self deception in human life 2011, basic books, isbn 0465027555 by robert trivers is a book that examines the evolutionary explanations for deceit and self deception. Steven pinker, author of the better angels of our nature. Robert trivers doesnt seem to have an upcoming book. May 15, 2016 popular science books such as richard dawkins the selfish gene drew heavily on robert trivers papers. Robert trivers has a track record of producing highly original ideas, which have gone on to stimulate much research. Why do i talk about, or wish to talk about, deception and self deception in the same breath.
Trivers calls deceit a deep feature of life, even a necessity, given genes brutal struggle to prevail. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. If that were not enough, trivers is witty, clever, and compassionate. Their newest book is wild life and was released on november, 20th 2015. The logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life 2011, basic books, isbn 0465027555 by robert trivers is a book that examines the evolutionary explanations for deceit and selfdeception. The logic of deceipt and selfdeception in human life. Book spotlight the folly of fools by robert trivers. Both make it harder for others to detect your deception, and also allow you to deceive with less immediate cognitive cost. Biologist robert trivers book the folly of fools tells the manifest ways human beings deceive themselves, from politics and religion to science and everyday. He is currently a rutgers university notable faculty member. Trivers wrote the original foreword to richard dawkins book the selfish gene in which trivers first proposed his adaptive theory of self deception. The site is full of hardtofind content, including many tv, radio, and print interviews, and freely downloadable pdfs of each of his published scientific articles it truly is a goldmine for every person interested in studying robert trivers work. The logic of deceipt and self deception in human life. Dec 29, 2010 in this tedxjamaica talk robert trivers describes the capacity, role and function of deceit and self deception in humans.
In the earlier portion of the book, trivers traces the way in which selfdeception involved in human beings and other animals, particularly as a tool to make the transmission of the species genes continue in. In the 1970s, a harvard class taught by robert trivers ignited a controversy that would escalate into the sociobiology wars. Selected papers of robert trivers 2002 and can be downloaded under publications. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, ted has created a program called. Trivers and newton published an analysis of the role of selfdeception by the flight crew in the crash of air florida flight 90. The human capacity for self deception knows no bounds, but why do we do it. Robert trivers and noam chomsky deceit and selfdeception. A new york times notable book of 2012whether its in a cockpit at takeoff or the planning of an offensive war, a romantic relationship or a dispute at the office. Covering all species from yeast to humans, genes in conflict is the first book to tell the story of selfish genetic elements that act narrowly to advance their own replication at the expense of the larger organism. In this book, deceit and selfdeception are analyzed from different perspectives of life and different perspectives scientifically. Is robert trivers deceiving himself about evolutionary. Robert trivers is an american evolutionary biologist who is a professor of biology at rutgers university. Genes in conflict austin burt, robert trivers harvard. Robert trivers is a pioneering figure in the field of sociobiology.
Anglerfish lure prey by dangling bait in front of their jaws, edible butterflies deter. Oct 05, 2011 the human capacity for self deception knows no bounds, but why do we do it. Dec 30, 2011 robert triverss new book is a curious document a book about deception and selfdeception that is itself deceptive, in structure, voice and argument. Most recently, trivers has created a theory selfdeception as an adaptive evolutionary strategy. According to the book the folly of fools the logic of deceit and selfdeception in human life, written by robert trivers, we as humans lie to ourselves to better lie to others. Biologist robert trivers has written a fascinating book about the survival value of selfdeception. Trivers proposed the theories of reciprocal altruism 1971, parental investment and sexual selection 1972, facultative sex ratio determination 1973, and parentoffspring conflict 1974. Now, decades on, he has arrived at a big, new universal theory. Trivers and newton published an analysis of the role of self deception by the flight crew in the crash of air florida flight 90. The result is a startlingly original and important book that.
In this book, deceit and self deception are analyzed from different perspectives of life and different perspectives scientifically. Robert trivers deception is a universal feature of life, at all levels and in all relationships both within species and between species, inside individuals and outside, with strong effects on both. This memoir is filled with sharp and hilarious observations about the living world, not least a certain species of hairless primate, not least a certain member of that species named robert trivers. Is robert trivers deceiving himself about evolutionary psychologys. Trivers was a faculty member at uc santa cruz 19781994. Robert trivers is a distinguished biologist with an enormous. An evolutionary biologist investigates why lying and selfdeception play such prominent roles in our lives. Deceit and self deception by robert trivers mentorbox.
Looks at how and why we so often deceive ourselves. Across town at mit, noam chomsky had earned a reputation as a leading. For us, deceit and selfdeception are two sides of the same coin and trivers covers a. Author of the folly of fools, wild life, and natural selection and social theory. Afterwards i got a scathing letter from robert trivers.
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