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Showing posts from October, 2017

Cognitive Dissonance in Isaac Asimov's "The Naked Sun" and Its Impact on Decision-Making

Isaac Asimov, a renowned science fiction writer, delves into the concept of cognitive dissonance and its profound influence on characters' decision-making processes in his work, "The Naked Sun." This futuristic novel presents a society where humans live in isolated environments, leading to an extreme aversion to physical contact. Through the characters' experiences, Asimov expertly explores the internal conflict arising from conflicting beliefs, values, and actions, resulting in cognitive dissonance. One notable example of cognitive dissonance is portrayed through the protagonist, Elijah Baley, an Earth detective assigned to solve a murder on the distant planet of Solaria. As Baley investigates the crime, he encounters the Solarians' extreme isolation and their reliance on robots to fulfill their every need. The Solarians' rejection of physical interaction and deep-rooted fear of leaving their controlled environment creates a dissonance between their aversion