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Why We Lie

Why We Lie

by David Livingstone Smith (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2007

    $7.06
Synopsis

Deceit, lying, and falsehoods lie at the very heart of our cultural heritage. Even the founding myth of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the story of Adam and Eve, revolves around a lie. We have been talking, writing and singing about deception ever since Eve told God, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Our seemingly insatiable appetite for stories of deception spans the extremes of culture from King Lear to Little Red Riding Hood, retaining a grip on our imaginations despite endless repetition. These tales of deception are so enthralling because they speak to something fundamental in the human condition. The ever-present possibility of deceit is a crucial dimension of all human relationships, even the most central: our relationships with our very own selves. Now, for the first time, philosopher and evolutionary psychologist David Livingstone Smith elucidates the essential role that deception and self-deception have played in human - and animal - evolution and shows that the very structure of our minds has been shaped from our earliest beginnings by the need to deceive. Smith shows us that by examining the stories we tell, the falsehoods we weave, and the unconscious signals we send out, we can learn much about ourselves and how our minds work. Readers of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker will find much to intrigue them in this fascinating book, which declares that our extraordinary ability to deceive others - and even our own selves - lies at the heart of our humanity.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 252
 Edition: Reprint
 Publisher: Griffin
Published: 07 Aug 2007
ISBN 10: 0312310404
ISBN 13: 9780312310400

Media Reviews
Self-deception is one of the most powerful ideas in psychology, indeed, in human affairs, and David Smith' s Why We Lie is an excellent synthesis of this crucial topic. The biology is up-to-date and accurate, the psychological implications are clearly worked out, and the writing is inviting and accessible.
---Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Blank Slate and The Language Instinc t

With an ' aha!' moment on every page, Smith' s inquiry is stimulating and unsettling.
- --Booklist

Deliciously tantalizing, with morality as the Grandest Deceit of them all.
--- Kirkus Reviews

Why We Lie is written with snap, panache, and the sort of insights that stop you in your tracks.
---Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle
David Smith has pulled off a beaut. Why We Lie is a wonderfully blended cluster of arguments to support the painful truth that we are a species whose skills at deceiving others is matched only by our ability to deceive ourselves.
---Arthur S. Reber, author of The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology and The New Gambler' s Bible

Why We Lie is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. . . . rich with stories, anecdotes, and psychological as well as sociological analyses.
---Tamar Frankel, S.J.D., The Human Nature Review

Self-deception is one of the most powerful ideas in psychology, indeed, in human affairs, and David Smith's Why We Lie is an excellent synthesis of this crucial topic. The biology is up-to-date and accurate, the psychological implications are clearly worked out, and the writing is inviting and accessible.
---Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Blank Slate and The Language Instinc t

With an 'aha!' moment on every page, Smith's inquiry is stimulating and unsettling.
- --Booklist
Deliciously tantalizing, with morality as the Grandest Deceit of them all.
--- Kirkus Reviews
Why We Lie is written with snap, panache, and the sort of insights that stop you in your tracks.
---Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle
David Smith has pulled off a beaut. Why We Lie is a wonderfully blended cluster of arguments to support the painful truth that we are a species whose skills at deceiving others is matched only by our ability to deceive ourselves.
---Arthur S. Reber, author of The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology and The New Gambler's Bible
Why We Lie is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. . . . rich with stories, anecdotes, and psychological as well as sociological analyses.
---Tamar Frankel, S.J.D., The Human Nature Review

Self-deception is one of the most powerful ideas in psychology, indeed, in human affairs, and David Smith's Why We Lie is an excellent synthesis of this crucial topic. The biology is up-to-date and accurate, the psychological implications are clearly worked out, and the writing is inviting and accessible. Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Blank Slate and The Language Instinct

With an aha!' moment on every page, Smith's inquiry is stimulating and unsettling. Booklist

Deliciously tantalizing, with morality as the Grandest Deceit of them all. Kirkus Reviews

Why We Lie is written with snap, panache, and the sort of insights that stop you in your tracks. Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle

David Smith has pulled off a beaut. Why We Lie is a wonderfully blended cluster of arguments to support the painful truth that we are a species whose skills at deceiving others is matched only by our ability to deceive ourselves. Arthur S. Reber, author of The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology and The New Gambler s Bible

Why We Lie is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. . . . rich with stories, anecdotes, and psychological as well as sociological analyses. Tamar Frankel, S.J.D., The Human Nature Review


Self-deception is one of the most powerful ideas in psychology, indeed, in human affairs, and David Smith's Why We Lie is an excellent synthesis of this crucial topic. The biology is up-to-date and accurate, the psychological implications are clearly worked out, and the writing is inviting and accessible. --Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Blank Slate and The Language Instinct

With an 'aha!' moment on every page, Smith's inquiry is stimulating and unsettling. --Booklist

Deliciously tantalizing, with morality as the Grandest Deceit of them all. --Kirkus Reviews

Why We Lie is written with snap, panache, and the sort of insights that stop you in your tracks. --Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle

David Smith has pulled off a beaut. Why We Lie is a wonderfully blended cluster of arguments to support the painful truth that we are a species whose skills at deceiving others is matched only by our ability to deceive ourselves. --Arthur S. Reber, author of The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology and The New Gambler's Bible

Why We Lie is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. . . . rich with stories, anecdotes, and psychological as well as sociological analyses. --Tamar Frankel, S.J.D., The Human Nature Review

Author Bio

DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE SMITH is the author of Why We Lie as well as a professor of philosophy and co-founder and director of the Institute for Cognitive Science and Evolutionary Psychology at the University of New England. He and his wife live in Portland, Maine.