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.Many economists and political scientists assume that individuals make rational choices, despite the abundance of evidence that people frequently succumb to thinking errors such as motivated inference. Much of sociology and anthropology is taken over with postmodernist assumptions that everything is constructed on the basis of social relations such as power, with no inkling that these relations are mediated by how people think about each other.Mind-Society displays the interdependence of the cognitive and social sciences by describing the interconnections among mental and social mechanisms, which interact to generate social changes ranging from marriage patterns to wars. Validation comes from detailed studies of important social changes, from norms about romantic relationships to economic practices, political institutions, religious customs, and international relations.This book belongs to a trio that includes Brain-Mind: From Neurons to Consciousness and Creativity and Natural Philosophy: From Social Brains to Knowledge, Reality, Morality, and Beauty. They can be read independently, but together they make up a Treatise on Mind and Society that provides a unified and comprehensive treatment of the cognitive sciences, social sciences, professions, and humanities.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I. Mechanisms1. Explaining Social ChangeSocial ChangeExplanatory StylesMental, Neural, and Social MechanismsEmergenceThe Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupApplicationsSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 1: Social Change2. Mental MechanismsCognition and EmotionBrains and Semantic PointersImagesConceptsBeliefsRulesAnalogiesEmotionsMapping ValuesInference and CoherenceEmotion-Driven InferencesSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 2: Mental Mechanisms3. Social MechanismsSocial Mechanisms and CommunicationWhat are Social Mechanisms?Structural ConnectionsSocial InteractionsVerbal CommunicationInter-Agent InferenceSocial Mechanisms for Spreading EmotionsMultilevel ExplanationsChange and EmergenceSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 3: Social MechanismsPart II. Social Sciences4. Social Psychology: Romantic RelationshipsRelationships MatterSocial Cognition and MicrosociologyMechanisms in RelationshipsMurray and Holmes on Interdependent MindsRomantic Relationships: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupTrust and CommitmentLoveRomantic InteractionsContrast with GottmanRelationship Success and FailureDoes the Heart Want What It Wants?Summary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 4: Social Psychology5. Sociology: Prejudice and DiscriminationDiscrimination and PrejudiceStereotypesWomen: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupJews: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupSocial Norms and InstitutionsOvercoming PrejudiceConceptual ChangeSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 5: Sociology6. Politics: IdeologyPolitical ChangePolitical MechanismsIdeology: 3-AnalysisIdeology: Value MapsIdeological ChangeThe Islamic State: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupNazi IdeologyAnarchismExtreme Right-Wing Political MovementsExplaining Rwanda AtrocitiesPowerSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 6: Politics7. Economics: Bubbles and CrashesBeyond Animal SpiritsEconomic DecisionsBooms and Bubbles: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupPanics and Crashes: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupMindful EconomicsReflexivitySummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 7: Economics8. Anthropology: ReligionCulturesReligionThe Latter-Day Saint Religion: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupWhy is the LDS Church Successful?Why is Religion Generally So Successful?Summary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 8: Anthropology9. History and International Relations: WarExplaining WarHistoryInternational RelationsNationalismOrigins of the First World War: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupMinds and GroupsHistorical ExplanationSocial Cognitivism as a Theory of International RelationsSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 9: HistoryPart III. Professions10. Medicine: Mental IllnessMind, Society, and the ProfessionsMedicineMental IllnessDepression: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupDepression: Multilevel MechanismsTreating DepressionSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 10: Medicine11. Law: Wrongful Conviction and Criminal ResponsibilityLegal MechanismsLegal CoherenceWrongful Conviction: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupExplaining Wrongful ConvictionsThe Brain and Legal ResponsibilitySummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 11: Law12. Education: Teaching and Conceptual ChangeLearning and TeachingVaccination: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupConceptual ChangeTeaching BetterSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 12: Education13. Engineering: Creative DesignCreative EngineeringSteve Jobs and Apple: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupEngineering CreativityTeaching CreativitySummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 13: Engineering14. Business: Leadership and MarketingVisionEmotional IntelligenceCharismaLeadership of Ed Catmull: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupMarketing and Emotional CoherenceApple's Marketing: Social Cognitive-Emotional WorkupEnhancing Collective Emotional IntelligenceProfessions and Social ChangeSummary and DiscussionNotes to Chapter 14: BusinessReferencesIndex