> Since the most persuasive lines of reasoning are not always the most logical, our brains' apparent foibles may result from this need to justify our actions and convince others to see our point of view - whether it is right or wrong. "You end up making decisions that look rational, rather than making genuinely rational decisions," says Mercier.

> The flip side, of course, is that we also face the risk of being duped by others, so we developed a healthy scepticism and an ability to see the flaws in others' reasoning. This ability to argue back and forth may have been crucial to humanity's success - allowing us to come to extraordinary solutions as a group that we could never reach alone.

quoted from:
The argumentative ape: Why we're wired to persuade
28 May 2012 by Dan Jones
New Scientist Magazine issue 2866. 

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