{"product_id":"the-story-paradox-how-our-love-of-storytelling-builds-societies-and-tears-them-down-9781541645967","title":"The Story Paradox: How Our Love of Storytelling Builds Societies and Tears Them Down","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStorytelling, a tradition that built human civilization, may soon destroy it\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHumans 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Story Paradox\u003c\/i\u003e, Gottschall explores how a broad consortium of psychologists, communications specialists, neuroscientists, and literary quants 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 \u003ci\u003ealways\u003c\/i\u003e find the same master factor: a mind-disordering story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGottschall argues that societies succeed or fail depending on how they manage these tensions. And it has only become harder, as new technologies that amplify the effects of disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and fake news make separating fact from fiction nearly impossible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith 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?\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJonathan Gottschall is a distinguished research fellow in the English Department at Washington \u0026amp; Jefferson College. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Storytelling Animal\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Editor's Choice and finalist for the \u003ci\u003eLA Times \u003c\/i\u003eBook Prize, and \u003ci\u003eThe Professor in the Cage\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e's Best Books of the year. He has written for or been covered in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScientific American\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e. Gottschall has also appeared on popular podcasts like \u003ci\u003eStar Talk\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Joe Rogan Experience\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eRadiolab\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Pennsylvania.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50650346422546,"sku":"9781541645967","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8ad3bbc4-f168-4514-b8c9-9a6d61eb99e2.jpg?v=1733287344","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-story-paradox-how-our-love-of-storytelling-builds-societies-and-tears-them-down-9781541645967","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}