The geography of thought : how Asians and Westerners think differently ... and why

Everyone knows that while different cultures may think about the world differently, they use the same equipment for doing their thinking. Everyone knows that whatever the skin color, nationality, or religion, every human being uses the same tools for perception, for memory, and for reasoning. Everyone knows that a logically true statement is true in English, German, or Hindi. Everyone knows that when a Chinese and an American look at the same painting, they see the same painting. But what if everyone is wrong? When psychologist Richard E. Nisbett showed an animated underwater scene to his American students, they zeroed in on a big fish swimming among smaller fish. Japanese subjects, on the other hand, made observations about the background environment -- and the different "seeings" are a clue to profound underlying cognitive differences between Westerners and East Asians. For, as Professor Nisbett shows in The Geography of Thought, people actually think about -- and even see -- the world differently because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China and that have survived into the modern world. As a result, East Asian thought is "holistic" -- drawn to the perceptual field as a whole and to relations among objects and events within that field. By comparison to Western modes of reasoning, East Asian thought relies far less on categories or on formal logic; it is fundamentally dialectic, seeking a "middle way" between opposing thoughts. By contrast, Westerners focus on salient objects or people, use attributes to assign them to catergories, and apply rules of formal logic to understand their behavior. The Geography of Thought documents Professor Nisbett's groundbreaking international research in cultural psychology, a series of comparative studies both persuasive in their rigor and startling in their conclusions, addressing questions such as: ? Why did the ancient Chinese excel at algebra and arithmetic, but not geometry, the brilliant achievement of such Greeks as Euclid? ? Why do East Asians find it so difficult to disentangle an object from its surroundings? ? Why do Western infants learn nouns more rapidly than verbs, when it is the other way around in East Asia? ? What are the implications of these cognitive differences for the future of international politics? Do they support a Fukuyamaesque "end of history" scenario or a Huntingtonian "clash of civilizations"? From feng shui to metaphysics, from comparative linguistics to economic history, a gulf separates the children of Aristotle from the descendants of Confucius. At a moment in history when the need for cross-cultural understanding and collaboration have never been more important, The Geography of Thought offers both a map to that gulf and a blueprint for a bridge that might be able to span it. A "landmark book" (Robert J. Sternberg, president of the American Psychological Association) by one of the world's preeminent psychologists that proves human behavior is not "hard-wired" but a function of culture. Everyone knows that while different cultures think about the world differently, they use the same equipment for doing their thinking. But what if everyone is wrong? The Geography of Thought documents Richard Nisbett's groundbreaking international research in cultural psychology and shows that people actually think about—and even see—the world differently because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China. As a result, East Asian thought is "holistic"—drawn to the perceptual field as a whole and to relations among objects and events within that field. By contrast, Westerners focus on salient objects or people, use attributes to assign them to categories, and apply rules of formal logic to understand their behavior. From feng shui to metaphysics, from comparative linguistics to economic history, a gulf separates the children of Aristotle from the descendants of Confucius. At a moment in history when the need for cross-cultural understanding and collaboration have never been more important, The Geography of Thought offers both a map to that gulf and a blueprint for a bridge that will span it. 1. The syllogism and the Tao : philosophy, science, and society in ancient Greece and China -- 2. The social origins of mind : economics, social practices, and thought -- 3. Living together vs. going it alone : social life and sense of self in the modern East and West -- 4. "Eyes in back of your head" or "Keep your eye on the ball"? : envisioning the world -- 5. "The bad seed" or "The other boys made him do it"? : causal attribution and causal modeling East and West -- 6. Is the world made up of nouns or verbs? : categories and rules vs. relationships and similarities -- 7. "Ce n'est pas logique" or "You've got a point there"? : logic and the law of noncontradiction vs. dialectic and the middle way -- 8. And if the nature of thought is not everywhere the same? : implications for psychology, philosophy, education, and everyday life -- Epilogue. The end of psychology or the clash of mentalities? : the longevity of differences.;A professor of psychology examines the divergent ways in which eastern and western cultures view the world, offering suggestions about how today's interdependent global cultures may be bridged. ix xiii The Syllogism and the Tao: Philosophy, Science, and Society in Ancient Greece and China The Social Origins of Mind: Economics, Social Practices, and Thought Living Together vs. Going It Alone: Social Life and Sense of Self in the Modern East and West "Eyes in the Back of Your Head" or "Keep Your Eye on the Ball"?: Envisioning the World "The Bad Seed" or "The Other Boys Made Him Do It"?: Causal Attribution and Causal Modeling East and West Is the World Made Up of Nouns or Verbs?: Categories and Rules vs. Relationships and Similarities "Ce N'est Pas Logique" or "You've Got a Point There"?: Logic and the Law of Noncontradiction vs Dialectics and the Middle Way And If the Nature of Thought Is Not Everywhere the Same?: Implications for Psychology, Philosophy, Education, and Everyday Life The End of Psychology or the Clash of Mentalities: The Longevity of Differences 231 241 253
Eminent psychologist Richard Nisbett boldly takes on the presumptions of evolutionary psychology in a provocative, powerfully engaging exploration of the divergent ways Eastern and Western societies see and understand the world.

When Richard Nisbett showed an animated underwater scene to his American students, they zeroed in on a big fish swimming among smaller fish. Japanese subjects, on the other hand, made observations about the background environment. These different “seeings” are a clue to profound underlying cognitive differences between Westerners and East Asians. For, as Nisbett demonstrates in The Geography of Thought, people think about and see the world differently because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China and that have survived into the modern world.

As Professor Nisbett shows in this book, "people actually think - and even see - the world differently, because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China, and that have survived into the modern world. As a result, East Asians think 'holistically' - that the world is a circle - while Westeners think 'analytically' - that it is ia line. From feng shui to metaphysics, from comparative linguistics to economic history, a gulf separates the children of Aristotle from the descendents of Confucius. At a momen in history when the need for cross-cultural understading and collaboration have never been more important, 'the geograpahy of thought' offers both a map to that gulf, and a blueprint for a bridge that might be able to span it." -- back cover A Professor Of Psychology Examines The Divergent Ways In Which Eastern And Western Cultures View The World, Offering Suggestions About How Today's Interdependent Global Cultures May Be Bridged. The Syllogism And The Tao -- The Social Origins Of Mind -- Living Together Vs. Going It Alone -- Eyes In Back Of Your Head Or Keep Your Eye On The Ball? -- The Bad Seed Or The Other Boys Made Him Do It? -- Is The World Made Up Of Nouns Or Verbs? -- Ce N'est Pas Logique Or You've Got A Point There? -- And If The Nature Of Thought Is Not Everywhere The Same? -- The End Of Psychology Or The Clash Of Mentalities? Richard E. Nisbett. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [241]-252) And Index.