Here at the Mindscape Podcast, we are firmly pro-reason. But what does that mean, fundamentally and in practice? How did humanity come into the idea of not just doing things, but doing things for reasons? In this episode we talk with cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier about these issues. He is the co-author (with Dan Sperber) of The Enigma of Reason, about how the notion of reason came to be, and more recently author of Not Born Yesterday, about who we trust and what we believe. He argues that our main shortcoming is not being insufficiently skeptical of radical claims, but of being too skeptical of claims that don't fit our views.Support Mindscape on Patreon.Hugo Mercier received a Ph.D. in cognitive sciences from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. He is currently a Permanent CNRS Research Scientist at the Institut Jean Nicod, Paris. Among his awards are the Prime d’excellence from the CNRS.Web siteGoogle Scholar publicationsAmazon author pageTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this engaging conversation, cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier, author of "Not Born Yesterday," explores the evolution and function of reasoning. He reveals how biases like confirmation bias shape our thinking. Mercier dives into the dual-process theory and the importance of argumentation in improving decision-making. He dispels myths about gullibility, sheds light on storytelling's role in reasoning, and discusses training techniques to enhance critical thinking. The conversation emphasizes collaboration over competition in scientific discourse and the need for intellectual humility in the face of misinformation.

Exploring evolution of skepticism and communication dynamics, AI's impact on information quality, psychology of belief and vaccination hesitancy, open vigilance, and belief dynamics. Delving into why gullibility and misinformation are overrated.

Robert Cialdini, a leading psychologist in marketing, Yaniv Hanoch, a decision sciences expert, and Hugo Mercier, a research scientist, explore the fascinating dynamics of scams. They discuss why people fall for scams, debunking myths about gullibility across ages. The conversation highlights psychological biases, the emotional fallout from scams, and the seductive history of snake oil sales. They offer insights into building trust while remaining skeptical, intertwined with humorous anecdotes that reveal the absurdity of fraud.

Sander Vanderlinden, a social psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, and Hugo Mercier, a cognitive scientist from the Institut Jean Nicod, dive deep into the misinformation crisis. They challenge the narrative of widespread vulnerability to misinformation, suggesting that humans may be more resilient than assumed. The duo also explores how misinformation interacts with personal beliefs and the complexities of vaccine hesitancy, emphasizing trust issues that complicate public health decisions. Their enlightening conversation reveals that the crisis might be more nuanced than it seems.