Comments on: How a sale is made http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560 The stomping grounds of Tim Carmody, Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson. It's a long-running conversation about media, journalism, technology, cities, culture, design, books, music, movies, the future and the past. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:20:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Hilda http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-20123 Hilda Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:42:04 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-20123 I believe this whole notion is encapsulated in the saying: "If you can't be right, be sure." Which notion really works by the way, as repeatedly demonstrated by Bush43. I believe this whole notion is encapsulated in the saying: “If you can’t be right, be sure.” Which notion really works by the way, as repeatedly demonstrated by Bush43.

]]> By: Tim Carmody http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19523 Tim Carmody Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:47:48 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19523 You have no idea how broken that last link was. There was a whole paragraph of the blockquote inadvertently cut-and-paste in there. You have no idea how broken that last link was. There was a whole paragraph of the blockquote inadvertently cut-and-paste in there.

]]> By: Howard Weaver http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19512 Howard Weaver Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:53:14 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19512 Darwin was fastidious about writing down results or ideas that tended to contradict his theories to make sure he didn't forget them. He didn't need to write down the positive stuff. Also (from memory) didn't Robert Wright argue just this point in The Moral Animal? As I recall the argument was that being persuasive is an evolutionary advantage (you can get the biggest piece of meat, or the fertile female, etc) and that the best way of being persuasive was to believe yourself. Voila: an evolutionary antecedent for self-justification. Darwin was fastidious about writing down results or ideas that tended to contradict his theories to make sure he didn’t forget them. He didn’t need to write down the positive stuff.

Also (from memory) didn’t Robert Wright argue just this point in The Moral Animal? As I recall the argument was that being persuasive is an evolutionary advantage (you can get the biggest piece of meat, or the fertile female, etc) and that the best way of being persuasive was to believe yourself. Voila: an evolutionary antecedent for self-justification.

]]> By: Phil Bost http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19511 Phil Bost Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:23:47 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19511 Tim, the last link is broken. Tim, the last link is broken.

]]> By: Ugly War, Pretty Package | Brian Frank http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19507 Ugly War, Pretty Package | Brian Frank Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:59:17 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19507 [...] (More insights about self-deception in general in a interesting post by Tim Carmody.) [...] […] (More insights about self-deception in general in a interesting post by Tim Carmody.) […]

]]> By: Ben K. http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19490 Ben K. Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:11:38 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19490 Great... And this fits right in: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/13/101213fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all (newyorker on the decline effect...) Great… And this fits right in:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/13/101213fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all
(newyorker on the decline effect…)

]]> By: Alexis Madrigal http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19465 Alexis Madrigal Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:19:25 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19465 Great post, Tim. Sometimes that's all that needs to be said. Great post, Tim. Sometimes that’s all that needs to be said.

]]> By: Brian Frank http://snarkmarket.com/2011/6560/comment-page-1#comment-19464 Brian Frank Tue, 04 Jan 2011 04:56:35 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=6560#comment-19464 Rings true. When I sold cell phones years ago, customers used to get indignant when I was honest about models that where overpriced or were less reliable than others. I can remember one particular guy started getting irate and appeared ready to complain to my manager until I agreed to contradict myself and tell him the complete lie he essentially put in my mouth. It was as if he'd been insulted -- like I'd made him feel <i>not important enough</i> to be pampered with lies. Rings true. When I sold cell phones years ago, customers used to get indignant when I was honest about models that where overpriced or were less reliable than others. I can remember one particular guy started getting irate and appeared ready to complain to my manager until I agreed to contradict myself and tell him the complete lie he essentially put in my mouth. It was as if he’d been insulted — like I’d made him feel not important enough to be pampered with lies.

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