Abstract
The juxtaposition ’cognitive illusion’ is interesting and important. Firstly, I shall try to say why it strikes me as interesting and what’s in it that is of importance, by framing it within a historical context. Secondly, I shall address my comments to one alleged cognitive illusion, namely the conjunction fallacy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
J.S. Bruner and C.C. Goodman, “Value and Need as Organizing Factors in Perception,” Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology42 (1947): 33–44.
D.C. McClelland and J.W. Atkinson, “The Projective Expression of Needs: The Effect of Different Intensities of the Hunger Drive on Perception,” Journal of Psychology25 (1948): 205–22.
There is yet another way to explain away the conjunction fallacy, by claiming that subjects in our case reverse the procedure. Instead of estimating the probability of Bill’s being an accountant (or a jazz-playing accountant) on the basis of his given character description, they judge the likelihood of his character description on the basis of his being an accountant (or a jazz-playing accountant). According to this interpretation, then, people often judge what is technically called “likelihood” rather than probability. And if so, then the so-called conjunction fallacy is no fallacy. I deal with this interpretation of the conjunction fallacy in my “More than Likely,” Times Literary Supplement, August 26, 1983, p. 914.
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Margalit, A. (1986). The Past of an Illusion A Comment. In: Ullmann-Margalit, E. (eds) The Kaleidoscope of Science. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 94. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5496-0_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5496-0_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-277-2159-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5496-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive