The consumer psyche: Irrationality rules
Melanie Howard
Attitudes and behaviour refuse to follow logical patterns, says Melanie Howard.
Centuries after the Enlightenment there is still a mighty battle raging to decide what really dominates the wellsprings of human action. On the one hand, the majority consensus in liberal democracies holds that our choices can, and should, be made according to a rational model -determined by reason, knowledge and science in the footsteps of John Locke and those legions of philosophers and social theorists that followed.
Yet, in the other corner - experiencing a surge in voice and influence - is...