Mistakes Were Made—But Not by ME: Self-justification in Everyday Life

Fellow Data Skeptics, what better political and media environment could there be for a deep dive into skepticism, science and critical thinking? None! So, I am very pleased to announce the upcoming lecture by Dr. Carol Tavris who has dedicated her career as a writer and lecturer on this uphill battle.

Her book with Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by ME): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts, has become something of a—well—bible of the skeptics movement, because it explains why it is so many people won’t admit their mistakes, give up a wrong belief, and accept responsibility for their actions—even when we skeptics calmly present them with incontrovertible data showing they were wrong. Why don’t they say, “Why, thank you for this important new information that will benefit me, my children, my country, and my planet!”—and instead tell us what we can do with our $#&! data? What blocks all of us from even being aware that we are wrong and might need to change? Dr. Tavris will describe the cognitive biases that lead most people to justify beliefs that are outdated, decisions that have proved to be misguided, and the harms we inflict on others.

Carol Tavris Biography:

Carol Tavris earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan, and has devoted her career as a social psychologist, writer, and lecturer to educating the public about the important contributions of psychological science, showing how pseudoscience can lead us astray at best and, at worst, cause enormous personal and social harm. Her book with Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts (https://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Not/dp/0544574788/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487075530&sr=1-1&keywords=carol+tavris), has been translated into 13 foreign languages. Her other best-known books include Anger: The misunderstood emotion; The Mismeasure of Woman: Why women are not the better sex, the inferior sex, or the opposite sex; and, with Carole Wade, two leading textbooks in introductory psychology. Dr. Tavris has taught at UCLA, and she has written hundreds of articles, essays, and book reviews on topics in psychological science for a wide array of publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and the (London) Times Literary Supplement. Many of these essays have been collected in Psychobabble and Biobunk: Using psychological science to think critically about popular psychology. She has been invited to give distinguished lectureships, workshops, and keynote addresses to students, clinicians, psychologists, lawyers, physicians, and general audiences around the world, from New Zealand to Finland. Dr. Tavris is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and serves on the editorial board of Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

Additional biographical info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Tavris

https://tavris.socialpsychology.org/

Amazon: Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts