my mind on books

So I’ve been here doing my usual amount of web surfing and book hunting but for whatever reason I didn’t come across anything that seemed “blogworthy” in the past week. These two books came to mind when I was thinking about possible reasons/excuses for the past week of non-posting:

Why? by Charles Tilly and ….

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson.

Why? comes recommended by Malcolm Gladwell. From the book description:

“Why?” is a book about the explanations we give and how we give them–a fascinating look at the way the reasons we offer every day are dictated by, and help constitute, social relationships. … Tilly demonstrates that reasons fall into four different categories:

* Convention: “I’m sorry I spilled my coffee; I’m such a klutz.”
* Narratives: “My friend betrayed me because she was jealous of my sister.”
* Technical cause-effect accounts: “A short circuit in the ignition system caused the engine rotors to fail.”
* Codes or workplace jargon: “We can’t turn over the records. We’re bound by statute 369.”

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a social-psychological account of cognitive dissonance and self-justification:

Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception—how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it.