Chatbots For Social Change/Beliefs/Introduction

  • Purpose and scope of the chapter.
  • The relevance of beliefs in the context of social change and chatbot technology.
  • Overview of key themes: Belief formation, technological influence, cultural variations, and redundant belief systems.

Selected bibliography:

What are beliefs?

Motivated reasoning

  • Bayne, T., & Fernández, J. (2009). Delusion and self-deception: Affective and motivational influences on belief formation. Psychology press.
  • Boudon, R. (1994). The Art of Self-Persuasion. Polity Press.
  • Boudon, R. (1999). Local vs general ideologies: A normal ingredient of modern political life. Journal of Political Ideologies, 4(2), 141–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569319908420793
  • Ellis, J. (2022). Motivated reasoning and the ethics of belief. Philosophy Compass, 17(6), e12828. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12828
  • Epley, N., & Gilovich, T. (2016). The Mechanics of Motivated Reasoning. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(3), 133–140. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.30.3.133
  • Kunda, Z. (1990). The case for motivated reasoning. Psychological Bulletin, 108(3), 480–498. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480
  • Nisbett, R. E., Ross, L., & Nisbett, R. (1980). Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment (Nachdr.). Prentice-Hall.
  • Ofsowitz, M. (n.d.). The Psychology of Superstition.

Where do beliefs come from?

  • Mannheim, K. (1936). Ideology and Utopia (1979). Routledge.