How History Gets Things Wrong: The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories

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4.9/5
1,694 RATINGS  |  278 REVIEWS

How History Gets Things Wrong: The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories

N/A

4.9/5
1,307 RATINGS  |  701 REVIEWS

Description: Why we learn the wrong things from narrative history, and how our love for stories is hard-wired.To understand something, you need to know its history. Right? Wrong, says Alex Rosenberg in How History Gets Things Wrong. Feeling especially well-informed after reading a book of popular history on the best-seller list? Don't. Narrative history is always, always wrong. It's not just incomplete or inaccurate but deeply wrong, as wrong as Ptolemaic astronomy. We no longer believe that the earth is the center of the universe. Why do we still believe in historical narrative? Our attachment to history as a vehicle for understanding has a long Darwinian pedigree and a genetic basis. Our love of stories is hard-wired. Neuroscience reveals that human evolution shaped a tool useful for survival into a defective theory of human nature.Stories historians tell, Rosenberg continues, are not only wrong but harmful. Israel and Palestine, for example, have dueling narratives of dispossession that prevent one side from compromising with the other. Henry Kissinger applied lessons drawn from the Congress of Vienna to American foreign policy with disastrous results. Human evolution improved primate mind reading—the ability to anticipate the behavior of others, whether predators, prey, or cooperators—to get us to the top of the African food chain. Now, however, this hard-wired capacity makes us think we can understand history—what the Kaiser was thinking in 1914, why Hitler declared war on the United States—by uncovering the narratives of what happened and why. In fact, Rosenberg argues, we will only understand history if we don't make it into a story. We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers. To get started finding How History Gets Things Wrong: The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed. Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Humor Cookbook Thriller Travel Classic Literature Romance Biography

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The MIT Press

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eng

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Ratings & Reviews

Isabella Taylor
Isabella Taylor February 25, 2025
Informative but could be shorter.
Chloe Nelson
Chloe Nelson November 19, 2025
Very good book with useful insights.
Brandon Green
Brandon Green February 26, 2025
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Harper Lee
Harper Lee November 17, 2024
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
Joseph Clark
Joseph Clark October 19, 2024
Worth reading for sure.
Chloe Nelson
Chloe Nelson May 29, 2024
Very informative yet entertaining at the same time.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young November 06, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson October 04, 2024
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
Chloe Nelson
Chloe Nelson July 20, 2024
Very informative yet entertaining at the same time.
James Walker
James Walker January 14, 2025
Good overall though slightly slow at times.
Samantha Edwards
Samantha Edwards November 14, 2025
An exceptional piece of work.
Grace Adams
Grace Adams June 02, 2025
An unforgettable reading experience from start to finish.
Lily Scott
Lily Scott May 05, 2025
Solid content and clear writing.
Grace Adams
Grace Adams March 25, 2025
Good structure and pacing.
Joseph Clark
Joseph Clark May 22, 2024
An unforgettable reading experience from start to finish.
Evelyn Garcia
Evelyn Garcia September 18, 2024
Very good book with useful insights.
David Thomas
David Thomas August 25, 2024
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson March 29, 2024
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Isabella Taylor
Isabella Taylor February 03, 2025
It completely changed my perspective.
Avery King
Avery King November 13, 2024
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan Wright June 16, 2025
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Eric Evans
Eric Evans November 10, 2024
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Nathan Hall
Nathan Hall April 18, 2025
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
Eric Evans
Eric Evans November 15, 2024
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Evelyn Garcia
Evelyn Garcia February 07, 2024
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Natalie Parker
Natalie Parker February 29, 2024
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
David Thomas
David Thomas April 18, 2024
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Daniel Wilson
Daniel Wilson March 21, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Brandon Green
Brandon Green March 03, 2024
Would recommend it.
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen February 25, 2024
Worth reading for sure.
Samantha Edwards
Samantha Edwards December 04, 2024
I learned so much and enjoyed every chapter.
Lily Scott
Lily Scott November 25, 2025
Great ideas though some parts felt detailed.
Andrew Thompson
Andrew Thompson September 12, 2025
It completely changed my perspective.
Abigail Rodriguez
Abigail Rodriguez May 15, 2025
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris July 24, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Charlotte Martin
Charlotte Martin February 28, 2025
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson April 10, 2024
Worth reading for sure.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young March 22, 2024
Would recommend it.
Justin Baker
Justin Baker April 02, 2024
It completely changed my perspective.
Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris August 25, 2025
Would recommend it.
Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson August 23, 2025
Strong and enjoyable read.
Evelyn Garcia
Evelyn Garcia September 24, 2025
Interesting and motivating.
Isabella Taylor
Isabella Taylor September 01, 2025
Great ideas though some parts felt detailed.
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan Wright May 31, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young June 22, 2025
An exceptional piece of work.
Lily Scott
Lily Scott June 11, 2024
Very informative yet entertaining at the same time.
Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis May 20, 2024
Average but still worth reading.
David Thomas
David Thomas March 17, 2024
Remarkably well-structured and thoughtfully written.
Amelia White
Amelia White September 01, 2024
Strong and enjoyable read.
Nathan Hall
Nathan Hall November 09, 2024
Very informative yet entertaining at the same time.
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