By the Grace of Guile

The Role of Deception in Natural History and Human Affairs

Inbunden, Engelska, 1994

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Beskrivning

In this ambitious, interdisciplinary work, Loyal D. Rue reassesses the value of deception in nature, and in human society, asserting that myths are essential to the health, and even survival, of a culture as a whole. Advancing his theory of the Noble Lie, he maintains that we urgently require a new myth to replace the religious beliefs rejected by the modern mind. Such a Lie, Rue believes, offers our only salvation from the psychological and social chaos now threatened by the spread of scepticism about the meaning of the universe and life. Rue holds our deeply ingrained western bias against deception up to rigorous examination, comparing it to what he calls the natural bias in favour of deception. Evolution rewards the successful deceiver, he maintains, and cites examples from the natural world and from psychological research indicating that strategies of deception and self-deception are essential to our personal well-being.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:1994-06-09
Mått:162 x 235 x 28 mm
Vikt:762 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:368
Förlag:OUP USA
ISBN:9780195075083

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Mer om författaren

Loyal D. Rue is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Luther College, Iowa.

Recensioner i media

"Deception is inherently intriguing. Loyal Rue convinces us that deception is also a major dynamic in history, in biological evolution, and in the development of personality and social coherence. Written with wisdom, grace, and extraordinary skill, this important book deepens our understanding of who we are and where we are going."--Ursula Goodenough, author of Genetics"This book tackles the fundamental question of how we form views of reality, and leaves the reader with a recurring insight: Our theories of reality are exquisitely flawed and yet eminently workable. I agree with the author that we are in search of a grand myth that will give order and meaning to our collective lives as citizens on this planet. This book should be on the shelves of individuals and libraries alike. Anyone who seriously entertains questions aboutthat which we as a species must agree upon in order to insure our survival will be reaching for this book many times."--C.R. Snyder, editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology"A highly original and important perspective on the uses of deception in human evolution, Loyal Rue's new book is written with authority and style--enjoyable to read, stimulating to recall."--Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi, author of The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium