Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era

Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era

Previously Published as A Field Guide to Lies

Weâ€™re surrounded byÂ fringe theories, fake news, and pseudo-facts. These lies are getting repeated. New York Times bestselling author Daniel Levitin shows how to disarm these socially devastating inventions and get the American mind back on track. Here are the fundamental lessons in critical thinking that we need to know and share now.

Investigating numerical misinformation, Daniel Levitin shows how mishandled statistics and graphs can give a grossly distorted perspective and lead us to terrible decisions. Wordy arguments on the other hand can easily be persuasive as they drift away from the facts in an appealing yet misguided way. The steps we can take to better evaluate news, advertisements, and reports are clearly detailed. Ultimately, Levitin turns to what underlies our ability to determine if something is true or false: the scientific method. He grapples with the limits of what we can and cannot know. Case studies are offered to demonstrate the applications of logical thinking to quite varied settings, spanning courtroom testimony, medical decision making, magic, modern physics, and conspiracy theories.

This urgently needed book enables us to avoid the extremes of passive gullibility and cynical rejection. As Levitin attests: Truth matters. A post-truth era is an era of willful irrationality, reversing all the great advances humankind has made. Euphemisms like â€œfringe theories,â€ â€œextreme views,â€ â€œalt truth,â€ and even â€œfake newsâ€ can literally be dangerous. Let's call lies what they are and catch those making them in the act.

Country	USA
Author	Daniel J. Levitin
Binding	Kindle Edition
Edition	Reprint
EISBN	9781524742225
Format	Kindle eBook
Label	Dutton
Manufacturer	Dutton
NumberOfPages	314
PublicationDate	2017-03-07
Publisher	Dutton
ReleaseDate	2017-03-07
Studio	Dutton

Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era

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