Thinking about groupthink

Conventional economics has long oversold individual rationality as the basis for how the economy works. Here’s one of the ways:

Humans rarely think for themselves. Rather, we think in groups…. Most of our views are shaped by communal groupthink rather than individual rationality, and we cling to these views because of group loyalty.

This poses a conundrum worth thinking about – individually and together:

Bombarding people with facts and exposing their individual ignorance is likely to backfire. Most people don’t like too many facts, and they certainly don’t like to feel stupid. If you think that you can convince Donald Trump of the truth of global warming by presenting him with the relevant facts — think again.

See this review of The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone.