Ian Leslie is a British writer on human behaviour. He has written the books Born Liars (2011),[1] Curious (2014),[2] and Conflicted (2021).

Writing

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Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit is "about the useful role that deception plays in our lives".[3] Much of Curious: the Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It is "focused on how harnessing young people's innate curiosity about the world is key to their whole futures."[4] In Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together he writes: "Open, passionate disagreement blows away the cobwebs that gather over even the most enduring relationships . . . It flushes out crucial information and insights that will otherwise lie inaccessible or dormant inside our brains. It fulfils the creative potential of diversity". "The second half of the book is devoted to 10 "rules of productive argument", which Leslie deduces from encounters with specialists in interrogation and hostage negotiation."[5]

Leslie writes about psychology, culture, technology and business for the New Statesman, The Economist, The Guardian and the Financial Times.[6]

In 2021 it was announced that Faber & Faber had bought the rights to Leslie's the Beatles book, John and Paul: a Love Story in Twenty-three Songs, an exploration of the relationship between the band's songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[7]

Personal life

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He lives in London with his wife and two young children.[6]

Publications

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  • Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit (Quercus, 2011)[8]
  • Curious: the Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It (Quercus, 2014)[9]
  • Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together (Faber and Faber, 2021)[10]

References

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  1. ^ Finlayson, Iain (19 February 2024). "Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit by Ian Leslie". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  2. ^ "The Shortlist: The Internet and the Mind". The New York Times. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit, by Ian Leslie". The Globe and Mail. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  4. ^ East, Ben (3 May 2014). "Curious review – how the internet doesn't help us understand the world". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ Gapper, John. "Conflicted, by Ian Leslie — the argument for having better arguments". www.ft.com. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "About". Ian Leslie. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Faber snaps up 'vital' portrait of Lennon and McCartney's relationship". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. ^ King, Edward (19 February 2024). "Born Liars by Ian Leslie". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  9. ^ Velasquez-Manoff, Moises (1 January 2015). "Book Review: Curious". Scientific American. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  10. ^ Marriott, James (19 February 2024). "Conflicted by Ian Leslie review — the internet has destroyed civilised debate". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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