The Myth of the Closed Mind
Subtitle Explaining How and Why People are rational
By Ray Scott Percival
Published by
Open Court Publishing Company
ISBN 978-0-8126-9685-1
Category mind/body
Winter 2012
Synopsis
It’s often claimed that some people—fundamentalists or fanatics—are indeed sealed off from rational criticism. And every month new pop psychology books appear, describing the dumb ways ordinary people make decisions, as revealed by psychological experiments. The conclusion is that all or most people are fundamentally irrational. Ray Scott Percival sets out to demolish the whole notion of the closed mind and of human irrationality.
Author's Biography
Ray Scott Percival is founder and editor of the Karl Popper Web and was the organizer of the annual Conference on the Philosophy of Sir Karl Popper, 1988–1998, both sponsored by the open Society Institute of George Soros. In 2000 he was listed by Barron’s Who’s Who as one of five hundred “world leaders for the new century.†He has taught at the University of Lancaster and now teaches philosophy at the United Arab Emirates University. His YouTube channel is NaiveRealist.
Reviews
“At last, a twenty-first century philosopher willing to stand up and argue for the power of sheer human rationality. Because Ray Percival is so convinced, correctly, of the impact of a rational argument on the human intellect, he is unafraid to offer a no-holds-barred, comprehensive brief on the strength of rationality. Surveying history and reason from Socrates to today’s age of terrorism, Percival has written a tract that Milton, Jefferson, Mill, or Popper would be proud of. The next time I get into an argument with a well-meaning person who wishes to censor a propagandistic, corporate, or individually hateful point of view, I will recommend a reading of Percival’s The Myth of the Closed Mind.â€
—PAUL LEVINSON, author of New New Media
“Ray Percival calls his own view outrageous, and it does indeed outrage the sensibilities of today’s shallow and fashionable intellectuals, who continually bleat about human irrationality. But even those already disposed to agree with Percival and Aristotle that humans are rational animals will still be repeatedly surprised by the many delightful, witty, and profound insights in The Myth of the Closed Mind. How much better to have written one classic work than a hundred meretricious potboilers. If he were henceforth to write nothing else, Professor Percival has his classic.â€
—J.C. LESTER, author of Escape from Leviathan
“Some of what Percival claims is outrageous but some of it is not. Even though he may not convince most of his readers, many of his arguments are both ingenious and entertaining—and often point to unresolved issues in the theory of rationality.â€
—JAMES FETZER, author of The Evolution of Intelligence and Render Unto Darwin
Reviews on Amazon:
To buy ebook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Myth-Closed-Mind-Understanding-ebook/dp/B007ED2YOG/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1351590179&sr=1-1
Price: £35.99
Reader Comments
Percival's book addresses an important set of problems that ought to interest all who find shopping, celebrity watching, television, and statement architecture less than captivating.
Eye opening and a wonderful read. Following a contemporary thinker who has finally given the opportunity to open the discussion(s) of the intellectual sensibilities. Sound, profound and wittingly entertaining.
This book is as lucid as it is exciting to read. I am utterly persuaded of Percival's thesis. This book has changed the way I think about the world and people.
Seems like a pretty good read from the extract xD I'll buy it if I see it around UAE.
Good luck.
It is a very good book. It is basically correct its thesis.
A much needed book in the current period, when people of good sense and integrity buckle under the oppressive weight of nonsense, chiefly because they believe the clarity of their vision cannot overcome stubborn foolishness. This book shows that both false beliefs can indeed be defeated: the false beliefs of those in power, and the unwarranted timidity of their critics.
What Ray has to say needs to be said, and said again. While humans make mistakes and, most importantly, differ in motives -- it is my own experience that each is validly rational modulo these caveats. If you refrain from calling someone irrational simply because they disagree with you -- then it is very hard to find someone who is not compelled by their nature to follow a logical argument. Indeed, I have met no-one not thus compelled. The basic nature of this logic is common to all people.
This is a brilliantly written synopsis on how the human mind works and how we can influence our decision by a deeper knowledge of it. It's a Must-Read for everyone, even those not familiar with the topics.
A welcome restatement of the enduring power and value of critical discussion for the growth of human knowledge and welfare; and a trenchant, comprehensive, defence of the view that almost everybody can change their mind through reasoning. Well deserves the recognition of a peoplesbookprize!
What about the religious fundamentalists, environmentalists, Wall Street protesters, conspiracy believers, terrorists, racists, Marxists, Fascists ... are all those people rational? Professor Ray Scott Percival takes on the outrageous & politically incorrect idea that we're all rational and explains why there is no other choice, it is a ray of hope for those who think apathetically that certain ideas and beliefs are beyond reasonable argument and for those who have lost interest in debating and engaging in criticism. The way the argument against the "Myth of the Closed Mind" is framed in this book will change your perception about people and the real world forever.
Ozzy would love this baby!