Why We Lie

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Description

Since our species first evolved, lying and deceit have been an integral part of our social existence. Now, for the first time, philosopher and evolutionary psychologist David Livingstone Smith elucidates the essential role that deception and self-deception have played in human evolution and shows that the very structure of our minds has been shaped by the need to deceive.Readers of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker will find this a fascinating book, which declares that our extraordinary ability to deceive others, and even deceive our own selves "lies" at the heart of our humanity.

Reviews

"Self-deception is one of the most powerful ideas in psychology, indeed, in human affairs, and David Smith's Why We Lie is an excellent synthesis of this crucial topic. The biology is up-to-date and accurate, the psychological implications are clearly worked out, and the writing is inviting and accessible." --Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Blank Slate and The Language Instinct

"With an 'aha!' moment on every page, Smith's inquiry is stimulating and unsettling." --Booklist

"Deliciously tantalizing, with morality as the Grandest Deceit of them all." --Kirkus Reviews

"Why We Lie is written with snap, panache, and the sort of insights that stop you in your tracks." --Howard Bloom, author of Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle

"David Smith has pulled off a beaut. Why We Lie is a wonderfully blended cluster of arguments to support the painful truth that we are a species whose skills at deceiving others is matched only by our ability to deceive ourselves." --Arthur S. Reber, author of The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology and The New Gambler's Bible

"Why We Lie is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. . . . rich with stories, anecdotes, and psychological as well as sociological analyses." --Tamar Frankel, S.J.D., The Human Nature Review

Author Bio

David Livingstone Smith is currently professor of psychology and co-founder and director of the Institute for Cognitive Science and Evolutionary Psychology at the University of New England. He and his wife live in Portland, Maine.