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NancyLebovitz comments on Open Thread, May 4 - May 10, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion
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When studying history I sometimes find the hardest thing for me is wrapping my brain around how people actually thought back then. I'm so ingrained with modern Western science-based thinking that it's really hard for me to envision how people outside that box actually think. Can anyone suggest some books or articles that explain the differences in modes of thought between us modern educated Westerners and other cultures / time periods?
Edit 1: I think what I'm looking for is something like the following book, just on current vs. past cultures and/or cultures other than just Asian vs. Western:
Richard Nisbett, The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently...and Why.
Edit 2: As some commenters have alluded to, a lot of what confuses me about past cultures would probably also apply to non-scientific cultures today.
Look for original sources-- that way, you'll be getting samples of how people used to think rather than interpretations from more modern people.
You might want to try Ex Urbe-- Ada Palmer is good about how much the way people think has changed.
I've actually done this on several occasions. But I mostly just get the feeling that "something is wrong here" and I can't quite put together how anybody could actually think what the source is saying makes sense.