Ideas and Contagions
Ideas spread like contagions but are constrained by human nature and cognitive biases, with contagious mental categories being those we are predisposed to believe.
THE IDEA
Ideas and Contagions
The same model can be used for the contagions and concentration of ideas. But there are some restrictions on the nature of epidemics I must discuss here. Ideas do not spread without some form of structure. Recall the discussion in Chapter 4 about how we come prepared to make inferences. Just as we tend to generalize some matters but not others, so there seem to be “basins of attraction” directing us to certain beliefs. Some ideas will prove contagious, but not others; some forms of superstitions will spread, but not others; some types of religious beliefs will dominate, but not others. The anthropologist, cognitive scientist, and philosopher Dan Sperber has proposed the following idea on the epidemiology of representations. What people call “memes,” ideas that spread and that compete with one another using people as carriers, are not truly like genes. Ideas spread because, alas, they have for carriers self-serving agents who are interested in them, and interested in distorting them in the replication process. You do not make a cake for the sake of merely replicating a recipe—you try to make your own cake, using ideas from others to improve it. We humans are not photocopiers. So contagious mental categories must be those in which we are prepared to believe, perhaps even programmed to believe. To be contagious, a mental category must agree with our nature.
When to use it
Understanding why certain superstitions persist across cultures despite lack of evidence.
Analyzing the spread of fake news and how it exploits cognitive biases.
Designing public health messages that align with human nature to increase adoption.
Studying the evolution of religious or political ideologies in society.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Spread of Superstitions
A superstition such as avoiding ladders could spread through fear, pattern-seeking, imitation, or another mechanism. The model suggests examining why the belief is appealing and how people alter it as they pass it on; the example alone does not establish the cause.
Religious Beliefs
One hypothesis is that ideas about supernatural agents appeal to a tendency to seek agency and purpose. To explain why a particular belief spreads, also examine its social setting, transmission, and how people change it.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a belief or idea that spreads quickly in your community. Why do you think it is contagious? Does it align with human nature or cognitive predispositions?
Consider a popular idea that you personally find unconvincing. What aspects of human nature might make it contagious for others despite its flaws?
How does the concept of 'self-serving agents' distorting ideas apply to the spread of misinformation or conspiracy theories?
Often confused with
References
- Epidemiology of Representations — Dan Sperber
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Black Swan The Impact of the Highly Improbable With a new section On Robustness and Fragility (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)