Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong

by Andrew Shtulman

Overview

"A fascinating, empathetic book" -- Wall Street Journal

Humans are born to create theories about the world -- unfortunately, we're usually wrong and bad theories keep us from understanding science as it really is

Why do we catch colds? What causes seasons to change? And if you fire a bullet from a gun and drop one from your hand, which bullet hits the ground first? In a pinch we almost always get these questions wrong. Worse, we regularly misconstrue fundamental qualities of the world around us. In Scienceblind, cognitive and developmental psychologist Andrew Shtulman shows that the root of our misconceptions lies in the theories about the world we develop as children. They're not only wrong, they close our minds to ideas inconsistent with them, making us unable to learn science later in life. So how do we get the world right? We must dismantle our intuitive theories and rebuild our knowledge from its foundations. The reward won't just be a truer picture of the world, but clearer solutions to many controversies -- around vaccines, climate change, or evolution -- that plague our politics today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465094929
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Andrew Shtulman is an associate professor of psychology and cognitive science at Occidental, where he directs the Thinking Lab. His work has been featured in Scientific American, CBS News, and the New Yorker. He lives in Pasadena, California.

Table of Contents

1 Why We Get the World Wrong 1

Part 1 Intuitive Theories of the Physical World

2 Matter: What Is the World Made Of? How Do Those Components Interact? 19

3 Energy: What Makes Something Hot? What Makes Something Loud? 39

4 Gravity: What Makes Something Heavy? What Makes Something Fall? 57

5 Motion: What Makes Objects Move? What Paths Do Moving Objects Take? 73

6 Cosmos: What Is the Shape of Our World? What Is Its Place in the Cosmos? 91

7 Earth: Why Do Continents Drift? Why Do Climates Change? 109

Part 2 Intuitive Theories of the Biological World

8 Life: What Makes Us Alive? What Causes Us to Die? 131

9 Growth: Why Do We Grow Bigger? Why Do We Grow Older? 149

10 Inheritance: Why Do We Resemble Our Parents? Where Did We Get Our Traits? 167

11 Illness: What Makes Us III? How Does Illness Spread? 185

12 Adaptation: Why Are There So Many Life-Forms? How Do They Change Over Time? 203

13 Ancestry: Where Did Species Come From? How Are They Related? 221

14 How to Get the World Right 241

Acknowledgments 257

Notes 261

References 273

Index 299

Editorial Reviews

03/27/2017
This timely, important, and well-crafted book by Shtulman, a professor of cognitive science at Occidental College, voices a convincing and unsettling argument about the persistence of science denial that has even broader implications for the state of public discourse. After noting that science denial is not a new phenomenon, Shtulman identifies a reason for its persistence that readers may not have suspected: intuitive theories, “our untutored explanations for how the world works.” These best guesses are often wrong, but they give people a reassuring sense that they understand more than they actually do. Several examples, such as the belief that heat is a thing that is transferred between objects rather than a process, provide ample support for his thesis. He observes that the danger posed by intuitive theories is compounded by the difficulty of moving beyond them when presented with contradictory evidence. Restructuring views is difficult, but not impossible, Shtulman maintains, if we “get our hands dirty in the details of the knowledge itself: the concepts that need to be differentiated, collapsed, reanalyzed, or discarded.” This thoughtful analysis merits a wider audience than it is likely to receive, but perhaps its lessons will reach educators and leaders who are in a position to spread them. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"[A] fascinating, empathetic book....Mr. Shtulman distills some useful ways to improve science education in the classroom and for the adult public."—Wall Street Journal

"Cogently explained."—New York Times Book Review

"This timely, important, and well-crafted book by Shtulman voices a convincing and unsettling argument about the persistence of science denial that has even broader implications for the state of public discourse.... [A] thoughtful analysis."—Publishers Weekly

"Lucid and methodical."—Nature

"Although this book is thoroughly researched with a wealth of scholarly sources cited, Shtulman reaches a broad audience by investigating topics that everyone can understand."—Library Journal

"In Scienceblind, Andrew Shtulman vividly presents an original and important idea, one that is highly relevant to science education, the public understanding of science, and the role of science in intellectual life."—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and the author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of Thought

"Anti-vaxxers, creationists, global warming skeptics... I have devoted my career to understanding why people deny science in the teeth of overwhelming evidence. As the cognitive psychologist Andrew Shtulman shows in one of the most important books ever written on this most important subject, it turns out that it isn't the facts in dispute, but incorrect intuitive theories people hold about the world underlying the facts that is the problem. In this new age of fake news and pseudo facts, Scienceblind is a candle in the dark."—Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, columnist for Scientific American, and author of Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, and The Moral Arc

"At last, a fantastic book for the general reader on what intuitive theories are and why they are so important to our daily lives. Shtulman explains why we are all vulnerable to intuitive misconceptions, the potential harm intuitions can wreak, and why we should all follow Carl Sagan's advice, 'I try not to think with my gut.'"—Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion and founder of Speakezee.org

From the Publisher

03/15/2017
Shtulman (psychology & cognitive science, Occidental Coll., CA) argues that the common theories people have are usually wrong. These intuitive ideas, as psychologists call them, are based on behavior rather than science. He argues for these misconceptions to be changed by transforming them from their foundation. Shtulman organizes intuitive theories by the physical and biological world. For the physical, he devotes a chapter each to matter, energy, earth, cosmos, motion, and gravity. Shtulman discusses topics such as what the universe is made of, what makes objects move, and what causes continents to drift. For the biological, he dedicates a section each to adaptation, ancestry, growth, inheritance, life, and illness. He examines the reasons people look like their parents, how species are related, and how illness spreads. He argues that intuitive theories are developed as children, and that people must change the concepts behind these beliefs when they become adults. Although this book is thoroughly researched with a wealth of scholarly sources cited, Shtulman reaches a broad audience by investigating topics that everyone can understand. VERDICT Recommended for anyone interested in cognitive science, psychology, or general science.—Tina Chan, MIT Libs., Cambridge

Library Journal