Why We Think What We Think

'Lively [and] fascinating'Julian Baggini, Financial Times'This book is always fascinating but frequently mind-blowing'Marina Hyde, Guardian columnist and co-host of The Rest Is Entertainment'Beguiling and compelling'Spectator'Fizzing with insights and ideas... I loved it'Jenny Kleeman, author of The Price of LifeAn eye-opening journey through the secret forces shaping our opinions, this book reveals why we think what we think - and why disagreement mattersOur opinions - whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what's good or fair - are shaped by a breathtaking web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is wrong: we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the geology of where we grew up, to the lines of our genetic code.This astounding book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the...