Anatomy of Foolishness: The Overlooked Problem of Risk-Unawareness

Author:   Stephen Greenspan ,  Robert B. Shilkret
Publisher:   University Press of America
ISBN:  

9780761871620


Pages:   268
Publication Date:   04 October 2019
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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Anatomy of Foolishness: The Overlooked Problem of Risk-Unawareness


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Overview

Just days after publishing his first book on the theory of foolishness, Stephen Greenspan learned that he had been hoodwinked by Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, or more accurately the Madoff “feeder” fund he invested in. Greenspan published a featured essay on the topic in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks later, and that essay was widely cited and attracted great interest for Greenspan’s ideas about gullibility and in the United States and many other countries. Greenspan’s new book, The Anatomy of Foolishness, explains why and how individuals (of all ages and levels of intelligence) and organizations act in ways that undermine their interests and even their continued existence. He examines three types of foolishness, using vivid examples to illustrate each, including the many foolish actions of US President Donald Trump. Greenspan presents a multidimensional theory of foolishness that contributes to the literature on human competence, and this book is likely to attract broad interest in the fields of psychology, sociology, economics, political science, and psychiatry as well as among those members of the general public (basically everyone) who have acted foolishly or know someone who has acted in a way that went against their own interests.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephen Greenspan ,  Robert B. Shilkret
Publisher:   University Press of America
Imprint:   Hamilton Books
Dimensions:   Width: 15.10cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 22.60cm
Weight:   0.431kg
ISBN:  

9780761871620


ISBN 10:   0761871624
Pages:   268
Publication Date:   04 October 2019
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ... Foreword, by Richard B. Shilkret ... Preface ... Acknowledgments ... Part I. Overview of Foolishness ... One Popular and Religious Conceptions of Foolishness ... Two Foolishness as Inattention to Risk ... Three An Explanatory Model of Human Foolishness ... Four Factors That Contribute to Foolish Action ... Part II. Forms of Foolishness ... Five Practical Foolishness ... Six Non-induced Social Foolishness ... Seven Induced Social Foolishness ... Part III. Implications of Foolishness .. Eight Foolishness in Collectivities ... Nine Foolishness in Vulnerable Populations ... Ten Foolishness and Crime ... Part IV. From Foolishness to Wisdom ... Eleven What Makes Donald Trump a Fool? ... Twelve Some Advice for Surmounting Foolishness ... Thirteen In Pursuit of Common Sense ... References ... Index ... About the Authors ...

Reviews

Read Stephen Greenspan's new book on foolishness. It will change your life, no fooling! -- Robert B. Shilkret, from the foreword If there is any topic that needs a book, it is foolishness, and everyone should read Stephen Greenspan's book to learn about what may be the biggest underlying problem facing the world today. Climate change, wars, terrorism, income disparities, antibiotic resistance-all have a common source in our human tendency to allow foolishness to override our intelligence and our common sense. -- Robert J. Sternberg, Cornell University


Author Information

Stephen Greenspan is professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut. He serves often as an expert forensic witness in criminal and civil cases where social-cognitive impairment is a mitigating or explanatory factor. He writes a blog for Psychology Today on the topic of human incompetence.

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