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Fairness, more than any other cognitive mechanism, is what explains the content of folk-economic beliefs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2018

Nicolas Baumard
Affiliation:
Département d'Etudes Cognitives [Department of Cognitive Sciences], Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75230 Paris, France. nbaumard@gmail.comcoralie.chevallier@gmail.comjeanbaptisteandre@gmail.comhttps://sites.google.com/site/nicolasbaumard/https://sites.google.com/site/coraliechevallier/http://jb.homepage.free.fr/
Coralie Chevallier
Affiliation:
Département d'Etudes Cognitives [Department of Cognitive Sciences], Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75230 Paris, France. nbaumard@gmail.comcoralie.chevallier@gmail.comjeanbaptisteandre@gmail.comhttps://sites.google.com/site/nicolasbaumard/https://sites.google.com/site/coraliechevallier/http://jb.homepage.free.fr/
Jean-Baptiste André
Affiliation:
Département d'Etudes Cognitives [Department of Cognitive Sciences], Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75230 Paris, France. nbaumard@gmail.comcoralie.chevallier@gmail.comjeanbaptisteandre@gmail.comhttps://sites.google.com/site/nicolasbaumard/https://sites.google.com/site/coraliechevallier/http://jb.homepage.free.fr/

Abstract

We applaud Boyer & Petersen's (B&P's) article on economic folk beliefs. We believe that it is crucial for the future of democracy to identify the cognitive systems through which people form their beliefs about the working of the economy. In this commentary, we put forward the idea that, although many systems are involved, fairness is probably the main driver of folk-economic beliefs.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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