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Can you outsmart this logical fallacy? - Alex Gendler

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TEDEd Animation

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Meet Lucy. She was a math major in college, and aced all her courses in probability and statistics. Which do you think is more likely: that Lucy is a portrait artist, or that Lucy is a portrait artist who also plays poker? How do we know which statement is more likely to be true? Alex Gendler explores our tendency to look for shortcuts and the phenomenon known as the conjunction fallacy.

Why is the same mental process responsible for the conjunction fallacy helpful in everyday life?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Alex Gendler
  • Director Igor Coric
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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