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Believing Bullshit : How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole by Stephen Law (2011, Trade Paperback)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherPrometheus Books, Publishers

ISBN-101616144114

ISBN-139781616144111

eBay Product ID (ePID)99377085

Product Key Features

Number of Pages272 Pages

Publication NameBelieving Bullshit : How Not to Get Sucked Into an Intellectual Black Hole

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2011

SubjectSocial, Epistemology, Logic

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaMathematics, Philosophy

AuthorStephen Law

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.7 in

Item Weight13.5 Oz

Item Length8.9 in

Item Width6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2010-049343

Reviews""Offers flashes of wit and insight." --Times Higher Education "I would like to see this book read by college freshmen, and certainly anybody running for public office. The witty, insightful, and often amusing arguments might help to immunize readers against religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and new agers by understanding their stocks in trade...." --San Francisco Book Review"

Dewey Edition22

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal165

SynopsisThis book identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. The author suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes-belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in. While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape. This witty, insightful critique will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, promoters of flaky alternative medicines, and others by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and maintained., Includes an insightful critique that helps immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and sustained., This title offers a witty look inside the world of ridiculous and sometimes downright dangerous belief systems, and how they suck us in. Wacky belief systems abound. Members of the Heaven's Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6,000 years old. Of course it's not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs - significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids. How do such preposterous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap? "Believing Bullshit" is a witty and insightful critique that will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and sustained., This book identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. The author suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes--belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in. While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape. This witty, insightful critique will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, promoters of flaky alternative medicines, and various other nutcases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and maintained.

LC Classification NumberBC175.L39 2011