ENGLISH

How We Reason

By Philip Johnson-Laird

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Year
2009
ISBN
0199551332, 9780199551330
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
26 MB (27254189 bytes)
Pages
584\290
Time added
2013-12-13 07:28:25

Description

Good reasoning can lead to success; bad reasoning can lead to catastrophe. Yet, it's not obvious how we reason, and why we make mistakes - so much of our mental life goes on outside our awareness. In recent years huge strides have been made into developing a scientific understanding of reasoning. This book by one of the pioneers of the field, Philip Johnson-Laird, looks at the mental processes that underlie our reasoning. It provides the most accessible account yet of the science of reasoning. We can all reason from our childhood onwards - but how? 'How We Reason' outlines a bold approach to understanding reasoning. According to this approach, we don't rely on the laws of logic or probability - we reason by thinking about what's possible, we reason by seeing what is common to the possibilities. As the book shows, this approach can answer many of the questions about how we reason, and what causes mistakes in our reasoning that can lead to disasters such as Chernobyl. It shows why our irrational fears may become psychological illnesses, why terrorists develop 'crazy' ideologies, and how we can act in order to improve our reasoning. The book ends by looking at the role of reasoning in three extraordinary case histories: the Wright brothers' use of analogies in inventing their flyer, the cryptanalysts' deductions in breaking the German's Enigma code in World War II, and Dr. John Snow's inductive reasoning in discovering how cholera spread from one person to another. Accessible, stimulating, and controversial, How we Reason presents a bold new approach to understanding one of the most intriguing facets of being human.

Similar books

Session C11: Ancient Cultural Landscapes in South Europe – their Ecological Setting and Evolution, Session C22: Gardeners from South America, Session S04: Agro-Pastoralism and Early Metallurgy Sessions, Session WS29: The Idea of Enclosure in Recent Iberian Prehistory, Session C88: Rhytmes et causalites des dynamiques de l'anthropisation en Europe entre 6500 ET 500 BC: Hypotheses socio-culturelles et/ou climatiques: Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon 4-9 September 2006) / Actes du XV Congrès Mondial (Lisbonne 4-9 Septembre 2006) Vol.36

Session C11: Ancient Cultural Landscapes in South Europe – their Ecological Setting and Evolution, Session C22: Gardeners from South America, Session S04: Agro-Pastoralism and Early Metallurgy Sessions, Session WS29: The Idea of Enclosure in Recent Iberian Prehistory, Session C88: Rhytmes et causalites des dynamiques de l'anthropisation en Europe entre 6500 ET 500 BC: Hypotheses socio-culturelles et/ou climatiques: Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon 4-9 September 2006) / Actes du XV Congrès Mondial (Lisbonne 4-9 Septembre 2006) Vol.36

2010 · PDF

THE BRITISH ARMY IN INDIA: ITS PRESERVATION BY AN APPROPRIATE CLOTHING, HOUSING, LOCATING, RECREATIVE EMPLOYMENT, AND HOPEFUL ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE TROOPS. with AN APPENDIX ON INDIA : THE CLIMATE OP ITS HILLS ; THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS RESODRCBS, INDUSTRY, AND ARTS ; THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ; THE BLACK ACT ; THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY ; THE TRAFFIC IN OPIUM ; THE VALUE OF INDIA ; PERMANENT CAUSES OF DISAFFECTION, AND OF THE RECENT REBELLION ; THE TRADITIONARY POLICY; MISGOVERNMENT BY NATIVE RULERS ; ANNEXATIONS OF THEIR TERRITORY, ETC.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN INDIA: ITS PRESERVATION BY AN APPROPRIATE CLOTHING, HOUSING, LOCATING, RECREATIVE EMPLOYMENT, AND HOPEFUL ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE TROOPS. with AN APPENDIX ON INDIA : THE CLIMATE OP ITS HILLS ; THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS RESODRCBS, INDUSTRY, AND ARTS ; THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ; THE BLACK ACT ; THE PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY ; THE TRAFFIC IN OPIUM ; THE VALUE OF INDIA ; PERMANENT CAUSES OF DISAFFECTION, AND OF THE RECENT REBELLION ; THE TRADITIONARY POLICY; MISGOVERNMENT BY NATIVE RULERS ; ANNEXATIONS OF THEIR TERRITORY, ETC.

1858 · PDF

Idries Shah 27 Books Collection : A Perfumed Scorpion, A Veiled Gazelle, Caravan of Dreams, Darkest England, Destination Mecca, Evenings with Idries Shah, Knowing How to Know, Learning How to Learn, Letters and Lectures of Idries Shah, Neglected aspects of Sufi study, Observations, Oriental Magic, Reflections, Seeker after Truth, Special Illumination, Special Problems in the study of Sufi ideas, Sufi thought and action, Tales of the Dervishes, The Dermis Probe, The Elephant in the Dark, The Englishman Handbook, Idries Shah Antology, The Magic Monastery, The natives are restless, wisdom of the Idiots PDF.

Idries Shah 27 Books Collection : A Perfumed Scorpion, A Veiled Gazelle, Caravan of Dreams, Darkest England, Destination Mecca, Evenings with Idries Shah, Knowing How to Know, Learning How to Learn, Letters and Lectures of Idries Shah, Neglected aspects of Sufi study, Observations, Oriental Magic, Reflections, Seeker after Truth, Special Illumination, Special Problems in the study of Sufi ideas, Sufi thought and action, Tales of the Dervishes, The Dermis Probe, The Elephant in the Dark, The Englishman Handbook, Idries Shah Antology, The Magic Monastery, The natives are restless, wisdom of the Idiots PDF.

2022 · PDF

The travels of Capts. Lewis and Clarke from St. Louis, by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, to the Pacific ocean; performed in the years 1804, 1805 & 1806, by order of the government of the United States. Containing delineations of the manners, customs, religion, &c. of the Indians, comp. from various authentic sources, and original documents, and a summary of the Statistical view of the Indian nations, from the official communication of Meriwether Lewis. Illustrated with a map of the country, inhabited by the western tribes of Indians

The travels of Capts. Lewis and Clarke from St. Louis, by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, to the Pacific ocean; performed in the years 1804, 1805 & 1806, by order of the government of the United States. Containing delineations of the manners, customs, religion, &c. of the Indians, comp. from various authentic sources, and original documents, and a summary of the Statistical view of the Indian nations, from the official communication of Meriwether Lewis. Illustrated with a map of the country, inhabited by the western tribes of Indians

1809 · PDF