Book Read Free

Not Born Yesterday

Page 47

by Hugo Mercier


  quality and, 166–67; spontaneous

  social alignment, of incentives, 89

  tracking of, 150–51; unfettered curi-

  social cost: of false rumors, 161–62,

  osity and, 155–59; about University

  171–72; of inaccurate information, 246

  of Michigan strike, 147, 151; war time,

  social media: Allcott on po liti cal

  149; workplace, DiFonzo and Bordia

  polarization and, 213; contagion

  on, 149; on World War II Japa nese

  analogy and, 96–97; fake news in,

  treason, 151, 153

  207, 298n11, 299n32; polarization in,

  210–11; U.S. polarization and users

  Salem witch trials: Osborne and, 185–86;

  of, 212–13, 244

  Tituba’s confessions in, 186, 189

  social relevance, of information, 159–60

  San Roque, Lila, 176

  social transmission, of religious beliefs,

  Schieffelin, Bambi, 179

  175, 177

  Schwartzberg, Melissa, 71

  Socratic questioning, 53

  scientific concepts, counterintuitive-

  sourcing: hidden dependencies,

  ness and, 220–21, 223, 224

  172–75; interlocutors and, 166,

  scientific theory, counterintuitive,

  170–71; rumors and quality of,

  231–33, 237–38, 270

  166–67; trust and, 283n38; two

  scientists, absurd ideas of, 217–18

  degrees of separation, 171–72. See

  Scott, James, 127

  also evidentials

  Scott- Phil ips, Thom, 102

  Soviet propaganda, 131–32, 143

  Seabright, Paul, 240

  Sperber, Dan, 31, 57; on beliefs, 152;

  Selb, Peter, 116

  on face recognition, 156; on guru

  selective ignorance, of children, 103

  effect, 234

  self- deception, 280n18

  spontaneous tracking, of rumors,

  self- incriminating statements, 197–98

  150–51

  sensationalism, fake news and, 215–16

  Stalin, Joseph, 32

  Shapiro, Jesse, 212–13

  Stark, Rodney, 122

  Shays’ Rebel ion, 110

  Sternberg, Robert, 68

  Sighele, Scipio, 96

  Stimson, James, 267

  signals, in communication, 18, 27–28;

  Sting, The film, con men in, 248–49

  automatic emotional reactions,

  stotting, of Thomson’s gazelles, 24–25,

  97–98; of chimpanzees, 40–41;

  28, 101

  commitment, 89–90; costly, 25–26,

  Strandburg- Peshkin, Ariana, 71–72

  241–42; for individual or group

  strangers, trust in, 240, 241, 247–51

  affiliation, 241; predator deterrent,

  subliminal influence, xviii, 43, 263,

  23–24; unreliable, 20, 25–26, 88, 104;

  278n46; brainwashing and,

  of vervet monkeys, 40

  33–34

  ind e x 363

  success bias: athletic products and, 12;

  Trump, Donald, 212; fake news and

  Henrich and Gil- White on, 11–12;

  election of, 200–201, 204–5, 207, 215,

  Marx and Engels on, 13

  298n7; gullibility and election of, 35,

  suggestibility, cost of, xv

  276n15; on immigration, 268; Putin

  Sun Myung Moon, 122

  and, 267

  Sunstein, Cass, 210

  trust, 78, 93–94, 222; blind, 2–5; calibra-Surowiecki, James, 71

  tion of, 255–57; coarse cues for, 240–41,

  sycophant, credible, 190–91

  247–50, 254, 255; damage from

  System 1 and System 2 thought pro-

  breakdown in, 94; economic games

  cesses, 35–38, 44–45, 277n20

  experiments, 254–55, 304n28; effec-

  tive irrational, 251–55; fragile chains

  Taine, Hippolyte, 34

  of, 269–71; incentives and, 84–87;

  taking sides strategy: of cable news

  information gains and, 252–54; lying

  networks, 242–43; to gain

  and, 81–82; negligence and, 83–84;

  audiences, 243; with minimal costs,

  overconfidence and, 90–92, 283n37;

  242; misrepre sen ta tions spread

  reputation and, 87–90; sourcing and,

  by, 243

  283n38; in strangers, 240, 241, 247–51;

  Tamis- LeMonda, Catherine, 103

  taking sides strategy and, 244–45; in

  Tanganyika, 107; contagion of feelings

  the wrong people, 240–41

  in, 95–96

  Truth movement, Kay on, 153

  Tarde, Gabriel, 34, 96

  Twain, Mark, 34–35; on majority

  Tel is, Gerard, 143

  opinion, 70

  ten Brinke, Leanne, 80–81

  Twitter, false rumors and, 158

  Tenney, Elizabeth, 90–91

  two degrees of separation, 171–72

  thermostatic model, of public opinion,

  2000 presidential election, of Bush and

  268

  Gore, 137–38

  Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman),

  35–36

  Unification Church, Stark and Lofland

  Thompson, Samuel, 249–50

  on, 123

  Thomson’s gazelles, 16; stotting of,

  United Airlines, Dao and, 146, 165, 292n2

  24–25, 28, 101

  United States, polarization in, 211–14

  threats, 237; conspiracy theories as, 158;

  University of Michigan strike rumor,

  false rumors about, 157–58; propa-

  147, 151

  gandists and, 134; in reputation

  unreliable signals, 20, 25–26, 88, 104

  credit, 226–27, 228; rumors about

  exaggerated, 261–62

  vaccinations, 61, 269; backfire effect

  Thucydides, 3, 167

  and opponents of, 49; Conis on, 60;

  Tituba, Salem witch trials confession

  Wakefield and McCarthy on, 60

  by, 186, 189

  variety, of religious beliefs, 217

  transfer effect, in learning, 280n11

  vervet monkey, 18–19, 20, 40, 275n11

  364 inde x

  Veyne, Paul, 265

  witchcraft: confessions of, 185–90;

  vigilance: in communication, 15–29;

  Evans- Pritchard study on, 186;

  epistemic, Sperber on, 31; need for,

  reflective beliefs for, 189–90. See also

  28–29; in omnivorous diets, 39–40;

  Salem witch trials

  reasoning and, 54

  Wood, Thomas, 49

  viral marketing, 96

  Woods, Tiger, 94

  Voigtländer, Nico, 128–29

  Wootton, David, 202

  Voltaire, 202

  workplace rumors, 149

  voluntary false confessions, 182

  world religions, 230

  Voth, Hans- Joachim, 128–29

  World War II, Japa nese treason rumor,

  151, 153

  Wakefield, Andrew, 60

  Wray, Margaret, 17–18

  Wang, Shaoguang, 132

  Wrightsman, Lawrence, 184

  Wanka Quechua language, on

  sourcing, 168–69

  Xhosa: Cattle- Kil ing movement, 118–19;

  “War of the Worlds” broadcast, of

  ghost army and, 2; Nongqawuse

  Welles, 96

  influence on, 2–4, 118

  war time rumors, 149

&nb
sp; xkcd “Bridge” comic strip, of Munroe,

  Weber, Eugen, 120

  71, 72

  Weinberg, Sandord, 147

  Weisberg, Deena, 232

  Yamagishi, Toshio, 252–53

  Welch, Edgar Maddison, 2, 4, 154–55

  Welles, Orson, 96

  Zahavi, Amotz, 26

  Wil iams, George, 22

  Zeckhauser, Richard, 149

  Wisdom of Crowds, The (Surowieski), 71

  Zola, Émile, 262–63

  Document Outline

  Cover

  Contents

  List of Illustrations

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  1. The Case for Gullibility

  2. Vigilance in Communication

  3. Evolving Open-Mindedness

  4. What to Believe?

  5. Who Knows Best?

  6. Who to Trust?

  7. What to Feel?

  8. Demagogues, Prophets, and Preachers

  9. Propagandists, Campaigners, and Advertisers

  10. Titillating Rumors

  11. From Circular Reporting to Supernatural Beliefs

  12. Witches’ Confessions and Other Useful Absurdities

  13. Futile Fake News

  14. Shallow Gurus

  15. Angry Pundits and Skillful Con Men

  16. The Case against Gullibility

  Notes

  References

  Index

 

 

 


‹ Prev