The Enigma of Reason

In 'The Enigma of Reason', Mercier and Sperber argue that human reason did not evolve to enable individuals to solve abstract logical problems or make better decisions on their own.

Instead, they propose that reason is primarily a social competence, developed to justify thoughts and actions to others, produce arguments to convince others, and evaluate the reasons given by others.

This theory explains why reason is both a unique cognitive capacity of humans and why it often leads to biased and lazy reasoning.

The book emphasizes that reason's main utility lies in facilitating cooperation and communication within complex social groups, making it an adaptation to the hypersocial niche humans have built for themselves.