Fool Proof

“Fascinating, highly original, and terrific. Wilkinson-Ryan gets at the heart of a fundamental problem—and greatly illuminates law, policy, and human life in the process.” — Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University, co-author of The New York Times bestseller Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness”Wool is nice. So why do we just hate having it pulled over our eyes? Why would we rather be poor than cheated, mistaken than misled? Why would we rather be corpses than chumps? Smart, beautifully written, and grounded in science, Fool Proof explains how our aversion to being duped can make us the biggest suckers of all time. This book is a gem. Trust me. Would I lie to you?” — Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University, best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness”The fear of playing the sucker is so engrained in our psyches that it seems to be instinctual. But, as Fool Proof brilliantly reveals, exploitation narratives are profoundly shaped by racist and sexist stereotypes and frequently weaponized to bolster an inequitable social order. Contracts expert, moral psychologist, and mother of two, Tess Wilkinson-Ryan draws on a fascinating trove of empirical research and familiar experiences to question the tradeoff between avoiding scams and caring for each other—and to illuminate a path to greater moral integrity.” — Dorothy Roberts, University of Pennsylvania, author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty“Thought-provoking and delightful on every page, Fool Proof is one of those books every curious reader will find themselves in. It reads like a fascinating conversation with someone brilliant you just met at a dinner party. With expertise and enthusiasm to burn, Wilkinson-Ryan has crafted a book I won’t be cooling off from anytime soon.”  — Amanda Montell, author of Cultish and Wordslut

Tess Wilkinson-Ryan is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has a law degree and a doctorate in psychology, and studies the moral psychology of legal decision-making, teaching courses in contracts, consumer law, and leadership. Wilkinson-Ryan grew up in Maine and now lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two children.