The Geography of Thought. How Asians and Westerners Think Differently... and Why

The Geography of Thought presents Richard Nisbett's groundbreaking international research in cross-cultural psychology, demonstrating that people actually think—and even perceive—the world differently due to distinct social structures, philosophical traditions, and educational systems originating in Ancient Greece and China. As a result, East Asian thought is holistic—focused on the perceptual field as a whole and the relationships between the objects and events within it. In contrast, Westerners focus on salient objects and individuals, assign them to specific categories, and apply the rules of formal logic to understand their behavior.

From feng shui to metaphysics, from comparative linguistics to economic history, a vast gulf separates the heirs of Aristotle from the descendants of Confucius. At this moment in history, when intercultural understanding and cooperation are of vital importance, The Geography of Thought offers both a map of this divide and a blueprint for the bridge that will span it.