Black and white thinking : the burden of a binary brain in a complex world

Nominated as a NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB must-read by curators ADAM GRANT, SUSAN CAIN, DANIEL PINK and MALCOLM GLADWELL 'Fascinating, important and entirely convincing.' SIR PHILIP PULLMAN 'Essential insights into the character of human choice and decision-making.' ROBERT CIALDINI, bestselling author of Influence __________ A groundbreaking and timely book about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking. We isolate ourselves from people who are not the same as us. We refuse to listen to the other side of the argument. We think in black and white - them or us, left or right, Leave or Remain - and dangerous possibilities arise. The Alt Right. ISIS. Brexit. Trump. Our hardwired binary brains have led to increasingly polarized beliefs and a rising tide of religious intolerance and political extremism. But by understanding our evolutionary programming we can learn how to see the grey areas and make rational sense of a complex world. In this alarm call for a better future, Oxford University psychologist Dr Kevin Dutton argues for a world in which we make subtler - and far better - decisions. __________ 'Kevin Dutton is a Special Forces style psychologist. Daring. Original. All-action. No nonsense.' SIR RANULPH FIENNES A Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink and Adam Grant NEXT BIG IDEA book club read about how to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. 'Essential insights into the character of human choice and decision-making.' ROBERT CIALDINI, bestselling author of Influence ________ In this groundbreaking exploration of how our brains work, psychologist Professor Kevin Dutton explains that by understanding the nature of our hardwired black and white thinking we are better equipped to negotiate life's grey zones and make subtler and smarter decisions. Our brains are hardwired to sort, categorize and draw lines. It's how we navigate the kaleidoscope of everyday information. Yet imagine failing an exam by a mere 1 per cent. Or being caught speeding at just 1 mph over the speed limit. We have to draw the line somewhere, we say. But lines can be unhelpful or even dangerous when drawn where they aren't wanted, or in too thick a hand. By thinking in terms of ' 'them' or 'us' and 'this' or 'that' we isolate ourselves from ideas we don't agree with and people who are not the same as us. We fail to listen to the other side of the argument and beliefs become polarized. Intolerance and extremism flourish. The human race has survived by making binary decisions, but such thinking might also destroy us. We may be programmed to think in black and white but rainbow thinking is the key to our cognitive future. __________ 'Fascinating, important and entirely convincing.' SIR PHILIP PULLMAN 'essential Insights Into The Character Of Human Choice And Decision-making. You'll Not Think About Thinking The Same Way Afterwards.' Robert Cialdini, Author Of Influence And Pre-suasion _______________ It Is Human Instinct To Sort And Categorize. We Are Hardwired To Discriminate And Frame Everything In Binary Black And White. It's How Our Brains Work. Migrant Or Refugee? Muslim Or Christian? Them Or Us? Rather Than Reaching Out To Those Who Are Different, We Bond With Those Who Are Similar To Ourselves. Rather Than Challenging Our Own Thinking About The World, We Endeavour Only To Confirm What We Believe. The Result Is That The Difference Between Polarized Beliefs Becomes Ever Greater. Dangerous Possibilities Arise. The Alt Right. Isis. Brexit. Trump. Through Persistent Binary Thinking Our Capacity For Rational And Nuanced Thought - Seeing The Grey, Rather Than Merely Black And White - Begins To Erode. Black And White Thinking Is An Alarm Call. Amidst A Rising Tide Of Religious Intolerance And Political Extremism, It Argues That By Understanding The Evolutionary Programming Of Our Binary Brains We Can Overcome It, Make Sense Of The World And In Future Make Much Subtler - And Far Better – Decisions. _______________ 'fascinating, Important And Entirely Convincing.' Philip Pullman 'kevin Dutton Is A Special Forces Style Psychologist. Daring. Original. All-action. No Nonsense.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes With polarizing events like Trump and Brexit in mind, Black and White Thinking argues that by understanding the evolutionary programming of our binary brains we can adapt our thinking to make subtler, better decisions. It is human instinct to sort, categorize and frame everything in binary black and white. It's how our brains work. Migrant or refugee? Muslim or Christian? Them or us? Rather than reaching out to those who are different, we bond with those who are just like us, which means the difference between polarized beliefs becomes ever greater. Dangerous possibilities arise. The Arab Spring. Brexit. Trump. Through persistent binary thinking our capacity for rational thought - seeing the grey, rather than merely black and white - begins to erode. Black and White Thinking is an alarm call. Amidst a rising tide of religious intolerance and political extremism, it argues that by understanding the evolutionary programming of our binary brains we can overcome it, make sense of the world and in future make much subtler - and far better - decisions We may not be programmed to think in shades of grey, but it's the colour of our cognitive future.In this ground-breaking exploration of how our brains work, Oxford University psychologist Dr Kevin Dutton explains that by understanding the nature of our black and white thinking we are better equipped to negotiate life's grey zones.