WE BUILT REALITY how social science infiltrated culture, politics, and power;how social science infiltrated culture, politics, and power

Popular culture is saturated with claims about a science of human life. Demographics are said to predict how we will vote; chemicals in our brains, who we’ll date; game-like scenarios, how we’ll spend our money; and genes, what we will think. This book explores this flood of scientism as it has spread in the last fifty years into almost all facets of daily existence. Readers will discover how popular pseudoscience has radically changed the world we live in, including spheres as different as dating, economics, politics, and artificial intelligence. The abuse of popular scientific authority has had catastrophic consequences, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis, the failure to predict the rise of Donald Trump, increased tensions between poor communities and the police, and the sidelining of nonscientific forms of knowledge and wisdom. But this book also shows a way out of the superstition and ideology of scientism. This book introduces readers to the “hermeneutic” or interpretive approach, which promises to free ordinary people from the tyranny of pseudoscience. An interpretive approach to human life offers a way to become a better reader of both the many claims to science around us and the cultural spaces we inhabit and help create. "Popular culture is saturated with claims to a science of human life. Demographics are said to predict how you'll vote; chemicals in your brain who you'll date; game-like scenarios how you'll spend your money; and genes what you'll think. This book explores this flood of scientism as it has spread in the last fifty years into almost all facets of daily existence. You'll discover how popular pseudoscience has radically changed the world we live in-in spheres as different as dating, economics, politics, and artificial intelligence. The abuse of popular scientific authority has had catastrophic consequences, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis; the failure to predict the rise of Donald Trump; increased tensions between poor communities and the police; and the side lining of non-scientific forms of knowledge and wisdom. But you also will learn a way out of the superstition and ideology of scientism. This book introduces readers to a movement called the "hermeneutic" or interpretive approach that promises to free ordinary people from the tyranny of pseudoscience. An interpretive approach to human life offers a way to become a better reader of both the many claims to science around you as well as the cultural spaces you inhabit and help create"-- Provided by publisher "Essential ... absolutely must be read widely." Charles Taylor, author of A Secular Age Over the last fifty years, pseudoscience has crept into nearly every facet of our lives. Popular sciences of everything from dating and economics, to voting and artificial intelligence, radically changed the world today. The abuse of popular scientific authority has catastrophic consequences, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis; the failure to predict the rise of Donald Trump; increased tensions between poor communities and the police; and the sidelining of nonscientific forms of knowledge and wisdom. In We Built Reality, Jason Blakely explains how recent social science theories have not simply described political realities but also helped create them. But he also offers readers a way out of the culture of hermeneutics, or the art of interpretation. Hermeneutics urges sensitivity to the historical and cultural contexts of human behavior. It gives ordinary people a way to appreciate the insights of the humanities in guiding decisions. As Blakely contends, we need insights from the humanities to see how social science theories never simply neutrally describe reality, they also help build it. Over the last fifty years, pseudoscience has crept into nearly every facet of our lives. Popular sciences of everything from dating and economics, to voting and artificial intelligence, radically changed the world today. The abuse of popular scientific authority has catastrophic consequences, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis; the failure to predict the rise of Donald Trump; increased tensions between poor communities and the police; and the sidelining of nonscientific forms of knowledge and wisdom. In We Built Reality, Jason Blakely explains how recent social science theories have not simply described political realities but also helped create them. But he also offers readers a way out of the culture of scientism: hermeneutics, or the art of interpretation. Hermeneutics urges sensitivity to the historical and cultural contexts of human behavior. It gives ordinary people a way to appreciate the insights of the humanities in guiding decisions. As Blakely contends, we need insights from the humanities to see how social science theories never simply neutrally describe reality, they also help build it. This book is about the abuse of scientific authority and the spread of pseudoscience into almost all facets of our everyday lives. Readers learn how popular sciences of everything from dating and economics, to voting and artificial intelligence have radically changed the world we live in. No part of modern society remains untouched by the abuse of popular scientific authority, which played a role in the 2008 economic crisis, the failure to predict the rise of Trump, and various other major tensions in our society. But this book also offers readers a way out of the culture of scientism. The her Popular culture is saturated with claims about a science of human life. Demographics are said to predict how we will vote; chemicals in our brains, who we'll date; game-like scenarios, how we'll spend our money; and genes, what we will think. This text explores this flood of scientism as it has spread in the last fifty years into almost all facets of daily existence. Readers will discover how popular pseudoscience has radically changed the world we live in, including spheres as different as dating, economics, politics, and artificial intelligence Cover 1 We Built Reality 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: Election Day 2016 12 Part I 30 1. Our Free-​Market Scientists 32 2. Republic Inc. 53 Part II 74 3. Genes and Machines 76 4. The Management Ethos 99 Part III 116 5. Sciences of Zero Tolerance 118 6. Empire of Light 135 Conclusion: Reading Social Science Again 153 Notes 166 Index 176 Introduction: Election day 2016 -- Our free market scientists -- Republic Inc. -- Genes and machines -- The machinist ethos -- Sciences of zero tolerance -- Empire of light -- Conclusion: Reading social science again