Seeing is Believing

Millennials may think they’re a different breed.

Perhaps, the reasoning goes, because they grew up in a distracting environment… their brains have adapted to the distractions of our fast paced world!

"Brained" by Jose, Flickr, CC-By-2.0
“Brained” by Jose, Flickr, CC-By-2.0

I frequently hear, “Maybe this generation is different!”

Attempts to outlaw competitive sports or bullying rely on that same flawed belief — that somehow humans are reaching a new level of consciousness. Finally.

For all the drum-beating about “Science!” it’s amazing to see how many people Continue reading “Seeing is Believing”

Persuasion Machines
A review of Richard Dawkins’ The Extended Phenotype

 PRL Guest Post by Robert Sherwood

Introduction

Most books on persuasion are written as how-to manuals. They may include information about social science research to explain why persuasion techniques work, or may include information about history’s greatest persuaders. Primarily, though, persuasion books are made to help you use or resist persuasion techniques.

Everyone's unique DNA is passed down from generations before. Image "dna security system" by jon jordan.
Everyone’s unique DNA is passed down from generations before. Image “dna security system” by jon jordan.

The Extended Phenotype, by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, is not like those books. Continue reading “Persuasion Machines
A review of Richard Dawkins’ The Extended Phenotype