Self-Deception Unmasked

Alfred R. Mele, the William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University, is the author of Irrationality, Springs of Action, and Autonomous Agents. He is the editor of The Philosophy of Action and coeditor of Mental Causation.

• Preface ix Chapter 1. Introduction: Approaches, Puzzles, Biases,and Agency 3 Chapter 2. Graden-Variety Straight Self-Deception: Some Psychological Process 25 Chapter 3. Self-Deception without Puzzles 50 Chapter 4. Attempted Empirical Demostrations of Strict Self-Deception 76 Chapter 5. Twisted Self-Deception 94 Chapter 6. Conclusion 119 Notes 125 References 137 Index 145

An engaging and accessible read... What is particularly compelling about Mele's analysis of self-deception is that it demonstrates, in contrast with many accounts ..., that we have relatively little control over many of the beliefs that are most important to us... The book gives rise to many fascinating questions about human nature."--Julie E. Kirsch, Ethics "An engaging and accessible read for both those who have and those who have not previously thought extensively about self-deception... What is particularly compelling about Mele's analysis of self-deception is that it demonstrates, in contrast with many accounts of self-deception that purport to demonstrate the opposite, that we have relatively little control over many of the beliefs that are most important to us--beliefs that concern the objects of our desires... [T]he book gives rise to many fascinating questions concerning human nature."--Julie E. Kirsch, Ethics "Self-Deception Unmasked provides an accessible, digestible, sophisticated, and up-to-date discussion of Mele's valuable contributions to our understanding of self-deception."--Paul Sheldon Davies, Philosophia