Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - February 2011 - Volume 34, Issue 01  

Open Peer Commentary

The evolutionary route to self-deception: Why offensive versus defensive strategy might be a false alternative

Ulrich Freya1 and Eckart Volanda1

a1 Zentrum für Philosophie und Grundlagen der Wissenschaft, Universität Giessen, D-35394 Giessen, Germany. Ulrich.Frey@phil.uni-giessen.de http://www.uni-giessen.de/cms/fbz/zentren/philosophie/ZfP/wiss_mitarbeiter/frey Eckart.Voland@phil.uni-giessen.de http://www.uni-giessen.de/cms/fbz/zentren/philosophie/ZfP/biophil

Abstract

Self-deception may be the result of social manipulation and conflict management of social in-groups. Although self-deception certainly has offensive and defensive aspects, a full evolutionary understanding of this phenomenon is not possible until strategies of other parties are included into a model of self-perception and self-representation.

(Online publication February 03 2011)

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