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Ideology as cooperative affordance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2010

Joseph Bulbulia
Affiliation:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealandjoseph.bulbulia@vuw.ac.nzwww.victoria.ac.nz/religion/staff/joseph_bulbulia/
Richard Sosis
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, U-2176, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-2176. richard.sosis@uconn.eduwww.anth.uconn.edu/faculty/sosis/

Abstract

McKay & Dennett (M&D) observe that beliefs need not be true in order to evolve. We connect this insight with Schelling's work on cooperative commitment to suggest that some beliefs – ideologies – are best approached as social goals. We explain why a social-interactive perspective is important to explaining the dynamics of belief formation and revision among situated partners.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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