The Geography of Thought : How Asians and Westerners Think Differently-- And Why

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...and the different "seeings" are a clue to profound underlying cognitive differences between Westerners and East Asians. As Professor Nisbett shows in The Geography of Thought 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 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 categories, and apply rules of formal logic to understand their behaviour. 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 ... and the different "seeings" are a clue to profound underlying cognitive differences between Westerners and East Asians. As Professor Nisbett shows in The Geography of Thought 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 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 categories, and apply rules of formal logic to understand their behaviour Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 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 Similarities7 "Ce N'est Pas Logique" or " You've Got a Point There"? Logic and the Law of Noncontradiction vs. Dialectics 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; Notes; References; Index. Content: Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 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 Similarities7 "Ce N'est Pas Logique" or " You've Got a Point There"? Logic and the Law of Noncontradiction vs. Dialectics 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 Notes References Index. 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 Professor Nisbett shows that people think differently and see the world differently because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies, and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China, and have survived into the modern world. He outlines the differences, and their significance From feng shui to metaphysics, from comparative linguistics to economic history, a gulf separates the children of Aristotle from the descendants of Confucius. This study offers a map to that gulf and a blueprint for a bridge that might be able to span it. 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 More than a billion people in the world today claim intellectual inheritance from ancient Greece.