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A review by dknippling
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson
3.0
Er, I liked this book.
But there were issues. The information was presented...exactly as it would have been, if the book were written by a couple of enthusiasts making exactly the same mistakes as are described in the book.
Examples:
The Milgram experiment gets mentioned a couple of times, completely uncritically. However, recently (since the book was published), many of the methods used in the study have been questioned. Did the Milgram experiment show what the results say they show? It's impossible to tell, because the researchers didn't stick to accepted procedure.
We know this now. And yet, in the book, the writers accept the study unquestioningly. In retrospect, it seems odd. Understandable...but exactly the kind of thing you would expect the writers of THIS book to avoid, to be more critical about.
Another one. The conclusion of the book ends up with a lot of advice unsupported by any studies or any outside evidence whatsoever--and comes out of the blue. The writers say that if someone you love has made the kind of mistake shown by the book (say, being swindled by a fake preacher), then it's best not to confront them by calling them stupid, but by appealing to the best in them. Okay so far.
Then they say, "Con artists take advantage of people's best qualities--their kindness, politeness, and their desire to honor their commitments, reciprocate a gift, or help a friend."
Nope.
Every other bit I've read about cons is that they take advantage of greed, cleverness, superiority, and arrogance. They set the mark up for a fall by making them feel like they're better, smarter, and quicker than everyone else.
It's a minor thing--or is it? The two items that I had any idea about ended up being based on incorrect assumptions. So now I don't know how to feel about this book. An enjoyable read, but I feel weird about giving it more than three stars.
But there were issues. The information was presented...exactly as it would have been, if the book were written by a couple of enthusiasts making exactly the same mistakes as are described in the book.
Examples:
The Milgram experiment gets mentioned a couple of times, completely uncritically. However, recently (since the book was published), many of the methods used in the study have been questioned. Did the Milgram experiment show what the results say they show? It's impossible to tell, because the researchers didn't stick to accepted procedure.
We know this now. And yet, in the book, the writers accept the study unquestioningly. In retrospect, it seems odd. Understandable...but exactly the kind of thing you would expect the writers of THIS book to avoid, to be more critical about.
Another one. The conclusion of the book ends up with a lot of advice unsupported by any studies or any outside evidence whatsoever--and comes out of the blue. The writers say that if someone you love has made the kind of mistake shown by the book (say, being swindled by a fake preacher), then it's best not to confront them by calling them stupid, but by appealing to the best in them. Okay so far.
Then they say, "Con artists take advantage of people's best qualities--their kindness, politeness, and their desire to honor their commitments, reciprocate a gift, or help a friend."
Nope.
Every other bit I've read about cons is that they take advantage of greed, cleverness, superiority, and arrogance. They set the mark up for a fall by making them feel like they're better, smarter, and quicker than everyone else.
It's a minor thing--or is it? The two items that I had any idea about ended up being based on incorrect assumptions. So now I don't know how to feel about this book. An enjoyable read, but I feel weird about giving it more than three stars.