Self-Deception Summary (7/10)

The idea of deception is easy for most people to understand. It is not a puzzle that some people are able to deceive others. It is not difficult to think of many reasons why they would do so. But why self-deception? It appears paradoxical, that a person would harm themselves. Why would you, an intelligent being, purposefully play a trick on yourself? In Self-Deception, Herbert Fingarette insists that it is no paradox at all. He makes his argument by analysing a few everyday experiences that anyone can relate to.

Consider first the act of writing. If you are in a crowded coffee shop and you need to finish an essay, there are many sounds that should distract you from your task. Around you are people engaged in loud conversations, drinking their lattes and occasionally moving their chairs to get up. Then there are the coffee machines with their distinct sounds and the baristas taking people’s orders.

But if you are focused on writing, somehow, you can ignore these noises. It is as if your mind hears them, but they do not become a part of your present awareness. And it is not only your ability to ignore these sounds, but your selective ability to welcome only what is relevant.

Imagine that while you are writing, your friend, Christina, coincidentally walks into the coffee shop and sits on a table across from yours. With your back turned to her, you do not notice. But then her phone rings. She picks up and answers in a voice that is too familiar to you. Suddenly, you are interrupted from the act of writing, and you have now turned around to see where she is.

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Related posts:

1. Amusing Ourselves to Death Summary (9/10)
2. The Obstacle is the Way Summary (7.3/10)
3. Descartes (A History of Western Philosophy)
4. John Dewey (A History of Western Philosophy)