The Story Paradox - Jonathan Gottschall

Category: Adults, Science
Language: English
Keywords: Culture Misinformaton Psychology Rational Thought Sociolgy

Written by Jonathan Gottschall
Read by Joshua Kane
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

The Story Paradox: How Our Love of Storytelling Builds Societies and Tears them Down

Publisher: Hachette Audio
Release date: November 23, 2021
Duration: 07:02:49

Storytelling, a tradition that built human civilization, may soon destroy it
Humans are storytelling animals. Stories are what make our societies possible. Countless books celebrate their virtues. But Jonathan Gottschall, an expert on the science of stories, argues that there is a dark side to storytelling we can no longer ignore. Storytelling, the very tradition that built human civilization, may be the thing that destroys it.

In The Story Paradox, Gottschall explores how a broad consortium of psychologists, communications specialists, neuroscientists, and literary analyzers are using the scientific method to study how stories affect our brains. The results challenge the idea that storytelling is an obvious force for good in human life. Yes, storytelling can bind groups together, but it is also the main force dragging people apart. And it’s the best method we’ve ever devised for manipulating each other by circumventing rational thought. Behind all civilization’s greatest ills—environmental destruction, runaway demagogues, warfare—you will always find the same master factor: a mind-disordering story.

With clarity and conviction, Gottschall reveals why our biggest asset has become our greatest threat, and what, if anything, can be done. It is a call to stop asking, “How we can change the world through stories?” and start asking, “How can we save the world from stories?”