Princeton University Press (2001)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
Self-deception raises complex questions about the nature of belief and the structure of the human mind. In this book, Alfred Mele addresses four of the most critical of these questions: What is it to deceive oneself? How do we deceive ourselves? Why do we deceive ourselves? Is self-deception really possible?
Drawing on cutting-edge empirical research on everyday reasoning and biases, Mele takes issue with commonplace attempts to equate the processes of self-deception with those of stereotypical interpersonal deception. Such attempts, he demonstrates, are fundamentally misguided, particularly in the assumption that self-deception is intentional. In their place, Mele proposes a compelling, empirically informed account of the motivational causes of biased beliefs. At the heart of this theory is an appreciation of how emotion and motivation may, without our knowing it, bias our assessment of evidence for beliefs. Highlighting motivation and emotion, Mele develops a pair of approaches for explaining the two forms of self-deception: the "straight" form, in which we believe what we want to be true, and the "twisted" form, in which we believe what we wish to be false.
Underlying Mele's work is an abiding interest in understanding and explaining the behavior of real human beings. The result is a comprehensive, elegant, empirically grounded theory of everyday self-deception that should engage philosophers and social scientists alike.
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Reprint years | 2003 |
Buy this book |
Find it on Amazon.com
|
ISBN(s) | 0691057451 9780691057453 978-1-4008-2397-0 |
DOI | 10.1093/mind/111.443.696 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options

References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Self-Deception as Pretense.Tamar Szabó Gendler - 2007 - Philosophical Perspectives 21 (1):231 - 258.
In Defense of “Denial”: Difficulty Knowing When Beliefs Are Unrealistic and Whether Unrealistic Beliefs Are Bad.J. S. Blumenthal-Barby & Peter A. Ubel - 2018 - American Journal of Bioethics 18 (9):4-15.
Racial Cognition and the Ethics of Implicit Bias.Daniel Kelly & Erica Roedder - 2008 - Philosophy Compass 3 (3):522–540.
View all 113 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
The Uses of Self-Deception.Howard Rachlin & Marvin Frankel - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):124-125.
Understanding and Explaining Real Self-Deception.Alfred R. Mele - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):127-134.
Self-Deception Vs. Self-Caused Deception: A Comment on Professor Mele.Robert Audi - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):104-104.
Distal Versus Proximal Mechanisms of “Real” Self-Deception.Joan S. Lockard - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):120-121.
Defending Intentionalist Accounts of Self-Deception.Jose Luis Bermudez - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):107-108.
Self-Deception and the Desire to Believe.Ariela Lazar - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):119-120.
Does Self-Deception Involve Intentional Biasing?W. J. Talbott - 1997 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 20 (1):127-127.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-01-28
Total views
73 ( #136,463 of 2,409,982 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
8 ( #87,245 of 2,409,982 )
2009-01-28
Total views
73 ( #136,463 of 2,409,982 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
8 ( #87,245 of 2,409,982 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads