The world is full of nonsense. It always has been, and I won't speculate as to whether matters are improving, staying the same, or getting worse. But let us at least acknowledge that, while the Internet has given us all unprecedented access to something closely approximating the sum total of all human knowledge (and right at our fingertips), it has also given us unprecedented access to non-science and plain nonsense. The critical evaluation of claims has never been more important than right now, because people now seem to encounter a greater number of claims (both true and false) on a daily basis than ever before.
Weaponized Lies is a modern introduction to critical thinking. It is far more conversational than an academic book on formal logic, making it accessible all reader. The book contains some basic principles of critical thinking, beginning with an introduction to probability and statistics, moving on to linguistic manipulation, and culminating in a brief introduction to the scientific process. Each step is amply illustrated with entertaining and relevant examples, and the reader who heed's the book's advice would very quickly become reasonably adept at critically examining claims. That's precisely the sort of book we need more of.
If you're relatively new to scientific skepticism, or if you're merely looking for a brief and entertaining introduction to critical thinking, you'd be hard pressed to find a superior work. On the other hand, if your critical thinking skills are already well-developed and you're looking for a book whose contents include an academic discussion of case studies with which you're not already familiar, this might not be the book for you. To be sure, a couple of the book's case studies are likely to be new to most readers, but the general sense many readers will have upon finishing the book is one of having enjoyed it but not learned much they didn't already know.
I find the book very useful because it highlights how we're lied to over and over by the media and even certain news sources that are supposed to be informing us. Therefore, it's of upmost importance that we stir away from fake news is intentional lies that are presented to mislead us. This book will help us stir clear from these lies and make us aware that there's so much that's fake and intentionally misleading.
A great book by an expert author.
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