Scott Adams explores persuasion through the lens of the 2016 election in this book. It definitely changed my views and the filter with which I see the world. Scott makes a good case for humans being irrational. When we're being "rational", our subconscious mind has already decided. We tack on rationalizations after the fact. If you hate Trump, then reading this might stir up some bad memories and emotions. Still, it's worth reading as it explains a new way to look at the world. A lens that can help explain why Trump won the election. A world that makes more sense, even if it's not the one you want.
Key Takeaways
Memorable Quotes
Rating 8/10
This book taught me a lot about the world we live in. It provides insight into a lot of the things that Trump did and continues to do. Political beliefs aside, this is a must read. I'm also interested in a 'timeless' view of persuasion in the context of other, less recent examples. This feels raw because it was so recent, so connected to our world today. I would like to read something with more detachment. Something with examples from the past so my feelings don't cloud the material.
Key Takeaways
- Confirmation bias is the tendency to only notice evidence that support our position.
- Cognitive dissonance is the tendency to rationalize our actions when they are inconsistent with our thoughts or beliefs.
- A good filter is a worldview that makes people happy and predicts the future well. Notice that this definition has nothing to do with an accurate view of reality.
- Two people can view the same fact and use it to support two completely different views of reality. This is what Scott calls the "Two Movies on One Screen" phenomenon.
- Visual persuasion is much more powerful than non-visual persuasion.
- Trump is a trained persuader, and had a team of persuasion experts behind him during the election.
Memorable Quotes
- On all the important stuff, we are emotional creatures who make decisions first and rationalize them after the fact.
- We humans like to think we are creatures of reason. We aren't. The reality is that we make our decisions first and rationalize them later....Your illusion of being a rational person is supported by the fact that sometimes you do act rationally.
- The common worldview, shared by most humans, is that there is one objective reality, and we humans can understand that reality through a rigorous application of facts and reason. This view of the world imagines that some people have already achieved a fact-based type of enlightenment that is compatible with science and logic, and they are trying to help the rest of us see the world the “right” way. As far as I can tell, most people share that interpretation of the world. The only wrinkle with that worldview is that we all think we are the enlightened ones. And we assume the people who disagree with us just need better facts, and perhaps better brains, in order to agree with us. That filter on life makes most of us happy--
- I have no reason to believe humans evolved with the capability to understand their reality. That capability was not important to survival. When it comes to evolution, any illusion that keeps us alive long enough to procreate is good enough.
- People are more influenced by the direction of things than the current state.
- Persuasion is effective even when the subject recognizes the technique. Everyone knows that stores list prices at $9.99 because $10.00 sounds like too much. It still works.
- The things that you think about the most will irrationally rise in importance in your mind.
- An intentional “error” in the details of your message will attract criticism. The attention will make your message rise in importance—at least in people’s minds--simply because everyone is talking about it.
- A good general rule is that people are more influenced by visual persuasion, emotion, repetition, and simplicity than they are by details and facts.
Rating 8/10
This book taught me a lot about the world we live in. It provides insight into a lot of the things that Trump did and continues to do. Political beliefs aside, this is a must read. I'm also interested in a 'timeless' view of persuasion in the context of other, less recent examples. This feels raw because it was so recent, so connected to our world today. I would like to read something with more detachment. Something with examples from the past so my feelings don't cloud the material.