How do minds make societies, and how do societies change? Paul Thagard systematically connects neural and psychological explanations of mind with major social sciences (social psychology, sociology, politics, economics, anthropology, and history) and professions (medicine, law, education, engineering, and business). Social change emerges from interacting social and mental mechanisms.

Paul Thagard is a distinguished philosopher and cognitive scientist who has written many books, including The Brain and the Meaning of Life (Princeton University Press, 2010) and The Cognitive Science of Science (MIT Press, 2012). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Cognitive Science Society, and the Association for Psychological Science.

• Preface


• Acknowledgments


• Part I. Mechanisms


• 1. Explaining Social Change


• Social Change


• Explanatory Styles


• Mental, Neural, and Social Mechanisms


• Emergence


• The Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Applications


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 1: Social Change


• 2. Mental Mechanisms


• Cognition and Emotion


• Brains and Semantic Pointers


• Images


• Concepts


• Beliefs


• Rules


• Analogies


• Emotions


• Mapping Values


• Inference and Coherence


• Emotion-Driven Inferences


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 2: Mental Mechanisms


• 3. Social Mechanisms


• Social Mechanisms and Communication


• What are Social Mechanisms?


• Structural Connections


• Social Interactions


• Verbal Communication


• Inter-Agent Inference


• Social Mechanisms for Spreading Emotions


• Multilevel Explanations


• Change and Emergence


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 3: Social Mechanisms


• Part II. Social Sciences


• 4. Social Psychology: Romantic Relationships


• Relationships Matter


• Social Cognition and Microsociology


• Mechanisms in Relationships


• Murray and Holmes on Interdependent Minds


• Romantic Relationships: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Trust and Commitment


• Love


• Romantic Interactions


• Contrast with Gottman


• Relationship Success and Failure


• Does the Heart Want What It Wants?


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 4: Social Psychology


• 5. Sociology: Prejudice and Discrimination


• Discrimination and Prejudice


• Stereotypes


• Women: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Jews: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Social Norms and Institutions


• Overcoming Prejudice


• Conceptual Change


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 5: Sociology


• 6. Politics: Ideology


• Political Change


• Political Mechanisms


• Ideology: 3-Analysis


• Ideology: Value Maps


• Ideological Change


• The Islamic State: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Nazi Ideology


• Anarchism


• Extreme Right-Wing Political Movements


• Explaining Rwanda Atrocities


• Power


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 6: Politics


• 7. Economics: Bubbles and Crashes


• Beyond Animal Spirits


• Economic Decisions


• Booms and Bubbles: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Panics and Crashes: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Mindful Economics


• Reflexivity


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 7: Economics


• 8. Anthropology: Religion


• Cultures


• Religion


• The Latter-Day Saint Religion: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Why is the LDS Church Successful?


• Why is Religion Generally So Successful?


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 8: Anthropology


• 9. History and International Relations: War


• Explaining War


• History


• International Relations


• Nationalism


• Origins of the First World War: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Minds and Groups


• Historical Explanation


• Social Cognitivism as a Theory of International Relations


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 9: History


• Part III. Professions


• 10. Medicine: Mental Illness


• Mind, Society, and the Professions


• Medicine


• Mental Illness


• Depression: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Depression: Multilevel Mechanisms


• Treating Depression


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 10: Medicine


• 11. Law: Wrongful Conviction and Criminal Responsibility


• Legal Mechanisms


• Legal Coherence


• Wrongful Conviction: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Explaining Wrongful Convictions


• The Brain and Legal Responsibility


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 11: Law


• 12. Education: Teaching and Conceptual Change


• Learning and Teaching


• Vaccination: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Conceptual Change


• Teaching Better


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 12: Education


• 13. Engineering: Creative Design


• Creative Engineering


• Steve Jobs and Apple: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Engineering Creativity


• Teaching Creativity


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 13: Engineering


• 14. Business: Leadership and Marketing


• Vision


• Emotional Intelligence


• Charisma


• Leadership of Ed Catmull: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Marketing and Emotional Coherence


• Apple's Marketing: Social Cognitive-Emotional Workup


• Enhancing Collective Emotional Intelligence


• Professions and Social Change


• Summary and Discussion


• Notes to Chapter 14: Business


• References


• Index