Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err is Human [Hardcover]

Michael Kaplan (Author), Ellen Kaplan (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 14, 2009

A dazzling new work of popular science and psychology for readers who enjoyed Blink, Stumbling on Happiness, or The Black Swan.

The New York Times called the Kaplans’ look at probability in everyday life, Chances Are..., “a dizzying, exhilarating ride.” Now they take readers on a new fun-house tour—exploring the burgeoning science of why humans make mistakes.

 

Our species, it appears, is hardwired to get things wrong in myriad different ways. Why did recipients of a loan offer accept a higher rate of interest when a pretty woman’s face was printed on the flyer? Why did one poll on immigration find the most despised aliens were ones from a group that did not exist? What made four of the air force’s best pilots fly their planes, in formation, straight into the ground? Why does giving someone power make him more likely to chew with his mouth open and pick his nose? And why is your sister going out with that biker dude?

In fact, our cognitive, logical, and romantic failures may be a fair price for our extraordinary success as a species—they are the necessary cost of our adaptability. Michael and Ellen Kaplan swoop effortlessly across neurochemistry, behavioral economics, and evolutionary biology, among other disciplines, to answer, with both clarity and wit, the questions above—and larger ones about what it means to be human.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Obvious logical errors are always the ones other people make. Michael and Ellen Kaplan put this self-serving idea to rest, brilliantly and wittily exploring the sources of the fallacies that infect the thinking of us all. Bozo Sapiens is a book rich not only in examples, but in wisdom. Every one of its readers will learn from it.”—Denis Dutton, author of The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution

"A beautifully written book; a heartfelt and powerful summary of decades of research into human reasoning quirks -- the bizarre heuristic and biases which make up the vast majority of our everyday practical 'reasoning'.—Metapsychology

 

“The mother-son co-authors of Chances Are…: Adventures in Probability (2006) turn their considerable authorial skills and wit to human behavior, from our isolated cave-dwelling ancestors to today’s globalized, interconnected world… Gourmet reading—rich in ideas, global references and amusing and provocative examples, served with great style.”—Kirkus

About the Author

Michael and Ellen Kaplan are mother and son, and coauthors of the bestselling Chances Are…: Adventures in Probability. Michael is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker who resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ellen is an archaeologist and cofounder of the Math Circle, a program for the exploration and enjoyment of mathematics. She is coauthor of The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics and Out of the Labyrinth: Setting Mathematics Free. She lives in central Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press; 1ST edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596914009
• ISBN-13: 978-1596914001
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "Error, unpersonified, is a part of our thinking..." March 27, 2009

By Kevin Currie-Knight TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

"Despite the medieval paintings, Error is not a single being, born of sin, and enemy of Man. Error, unpersonified, is a part of our thinking process - an ally. If a dangerous one, in understanding and controlling the world. Once we know its taxonomy, from slips to motivated reasoning, we can design our way out of some of it." (p. 139)

Bozo Sapiens is a book based on the above premise: that error in thinking is endemic to human nature. Take away our tendency to err, and you take away a part of what makes us human. While no one is saying that humans do not possess a good deal of rationality, the truth still runs contra to what logicians and some philosophers want us to believe: we are not always the rational animal.

The book starts with a lively discussion on what logic is (a tool for thought), why it is important, and why it is not the natural state of the mind. One must work at logic, as evidenced by the bevy just as alive today as when Aristotle first catalogued them. Rather than being the laws of thought (as some have supposed) logic is a sometimes unnatural tool that we can, but often don't, use to think our way to conclusions.

What else do we use? The answer is taken up by the next 2/3rds - the meat - of the book. First, there are sensory mistakes (optical illusions, false memories, selective listening, etc.). Since we humans rely on our senses for much of what we believe, when our senses go wrong, it is hard indeed to rectify the situation (try convincing the schizophrenic that there is no CIA plot to listen to his inner thoughts, or the ghost-hunter that it is all smoke and mirrors).

Another favorite fallacy of the Kaplan's is "motivated reasoning,"; what is more commonly called "confirmation bias...." We humans have a tendency to favor our own leanings rather than to see situations objectively. This leads not only to people "sseing evidence everywhere" for some most foolish beliefs (holocaust denial, UFOlogy), but to our tendency to erroneously believe that others err more than we. All of this is made possible by our very very human tendency to attend to the "hits" while ignoring or discounting the "misses."

An entire chapter is devoted to errors made in economics. The authors rightly see economics and finance as a field where inordinate amount of errors occur, and rightly note that this is largely becuase our evolved brains were not "designed" to handle large numbers and statistics. We come from hunter/gatherers whose brains helped them get food and deal with things right in front of them, rather than placeholders, decimals, and commas.

Lastly, we deal with the very human areas of love and ethics. We have all done stupid things for love. How stupid? Well, our authors detail some fascinating examples (which show that we have not gotten far beyond our ancestors' tendency to think short-term when the heart is concerned.) And ethics? Well, philosophers have debated its fine points for years, and our authors fare no better. What do we make of humans' conflicting impulses towards doing for onesself and helping others, for short-term gain and long-term happiness, for 'ends in themselves' and 'ends justified by means.'

All in all, Bozo Sapiens is a page turning read for those who, like myself, marvel at our remarkable human strength and frailty. The Kaplans never intend to degrade humans by pointing out the more stupid things we do, but only to remind us that we are human and that this is for better or worse.

One complaint I have about this book is that it is often whirligig in nature, never sticking to one subject long enough to do more than offer a brief taste. There is not much original here (that cannot also be found in books like "Nudge," and "Predictably Irrational.") That said, the writing and examples used are fascinating, and I reccomend this book to anyone fascinated with how our brain works (or does not). Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched, well-written, informative April 8, 2009

By M. L Lamendola VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I found Bozo Sapiens to be engaging, informative, well-written, and occasionally humorous. It was a pleasure to read. It's also very timely material. The nation is in the midst of a stupidity epidemic that shows no signs of abating any time soon, and this epidemic appears to be driven by deliberate choices. Among other things, this book helps shed light on why those particular choices get made.

This book intrigued me, because I have a strong interest in books on human intelligence or the lack thereof. Bozo Sapiens talks about the mistakes we make and misperceptions we have, and the reasons behind them. It explained some things I have been wondering about and caused me to think about other things I hadn't previously considered.

Bozo Sapiens was also well-researched. Since it draws from the literature in areas of brain research, neurochemistry, behavioral science, evolutionary biology, and other related topics, many of its references will be familiar to a person who is reasonably well-read in these topics.

One of the key concepts this book brought to me is there are good reasons for why we get things wrong. The brain adapts and alters its perceptions of reality to fit its expectations of reality. If we can account for that, we can avoid pointless self-flagellation and get on with things. We can also understand others better by recognizing that people can see the same facts or situation differently for reasons that have nothing to do with comparative intelligence.

The authors devote a significant amount of page space to exploring how and why our illusions and delusions serve good purposes.... This concept that such mechanisms are helpful is a fundamental assumption behind treating maladaptive coping behaviors with talk therapy (what used to work no longer works).

This book consists of seven chapters and an extensive notes section.

Chapter One is titled From the Logbook of the Ship of Fools. It doesn't have a single theme or thrust. Mostly, it explores some basic concepts of logic and reasoning. This includes discussions of fallacious reasoning, the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, word connotations in arguments, and the scientific method.

Chapter Two is titled Idols of the Marketplace. Here, the authors say things that would make any Libertarian pause. A major point in this chapter is that the markets are not rational. Computers (which are purely rational) make choices one way and humans make them in another way. Therefore, the market on its own won't produce the best outcomes. But for the same reasons, neither will a centrally-controlled economy. This chapter is full of great stuff for fascinating dinner conversation. For example, loss aversion typically causes people to cheat themselves.

Chapter Three is titled Tinted Glasses. This chapter draws heavily on recent works (of original research) to explain why the brain sees a different version of reality than what's actually there. I like the way the authors thread things together. I've read many of the works they reference, but then I read more books in a year than 40% of Americans read in their adult lifetimes. It simply is not possible to write accurately on this topic without drawing from authoritative works.

Chapter Four is titled Off the Rails. It naturally follows the previous chapter. In this chapter, the authors look at what we do with the distorted information our brains produce from our senses. One subtitle in "Complex systems, simple mistakes." That is the territory where this chapter takes you.

Chapter Five is titled One of Us. The focus here is on kinship, group formation, belonging, and various aspects of becoming "us" as opposed to "them."

Chapter Six is titled Fresh Off the Pleistocene Bus. Subtopics include sex, marriage, and food. The authors discuss cultures, anxiety, and the tragedy of the commons. They briefly discuss why the French use a great deal of butter and sugar in their cooking, but manage to stay lean.

Chapter Seven is titled Living Right. Here, they discuss how people arrive at different views about what's right. They discuss moral axioms, national characters, altruism, and polarized politics. Quite a discussion of ethics, and not just in the human realm. One subheading is "Why the Great are Rarely the Good." The discussion that ensues helps explain the Dilbert work environment.

This book is a good one to add to your collection. It helps you understand more about what makes us human, and why we do some of the crazy things we do. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Anecdotes are not science February 10, 2011

By David A. Teich

Format:Paperback

The authors begin by talking about the scientific method, but then their thesis is backed only by a bunch of amusing anecdotes that quickly get old. Worse, I don't know how accurate they are.

I'm still in the first chapter about the market and just read about the Prisoner's Dilemma, where they state "Game theory concludes that the best strategy for an individual is to betray the other." Sadly, for the authors and my respect for the rest of the book, that's false. I'm an old fart who has followed statistics and game theory for a long time. Way back in the dawn of time (ok, only a couple of decades ago), a computer contest by the IEEE had programs compete in the game. People created fancy strategies, but a very simple program won. Again and again, it won. Tit-for-tat has remained the strategy that works best. Start by being silent, then follow with whatever your opponent did last turn.

That the authors make no mention of the program and the strategy makes me strongly wonder just how little they paid attention to the other areas they discussed in the book. Everything else becomes suspect.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars to err is human; to be erudite is obtuse August 1, 2009

By Carolyn Thornlow

Format:Hardcover

There was something about this book that makes me hold back a star. It isn't the subject. I love reading works about cognitive distortions , especially as they impact the quality of life and business. Once you pursue this vein of study, you start seeing the same case studies and anecdotes used over and over. This book, refreshingly, has stories and perspectives decidedly its own in addition to the old and familiar.
But, there was something in its construction that left me flat. For one thing, there was no particular narrative arc that led anywhere. It was just a, seemingly random, collection of explorations that support the premise that we don't think nor act so rationally. And, then, at a more atomic level, there was something about sentence construction and analogy that stopped me rather than propelled me. For instance, to "illuminate" they offered that the subject they were explaining was like:
* Aishawarya Rai, or
* Waiting for Mr. Darcy, or
* The Great Fear of 1789, or
* The Maori Haka

Maybe what this illustrates is that I'm not as learned as they are. But, it seems to me that if you are using analogy to illustrate, you would choose more recognizable examples. I already knew about what they were trying to explain, but I didn't know about their analogies. It was things like this -- effects of construction -- that detracted from a cogent take-away.