Issue: Human Society

Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together

Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together

Posted by | Mar 30, 2021 | |

Insight and empathy spring from the clash of different perspectives. In a world where it’s easier than ever for people to share their opinions, we should be reaping the benefits of diverse views. Instead, we too often find ourselves mired in hostility or – worse – avoiding disagreement altogether. Ian Leslie argues that this is because most of us never learn how to air our differences in a way that leads to progress. – amamzon.co.uk

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The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding

The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding

Posted by | Mar 1, 2021 | |

‘Mercier and Sperber offer a surprising and powerful response to the new orthodoxy propounded by Kahneman and Tversky … arguing that the supposed flaws of hot, fast, automatic thinking are actually design features which work remarkably well’ Julian Baggini

Reason, we are told, is what makes us human, the source of our knowledge and wisdom. But, if reason is so useful, why didn’t it also evolve in other animals? If it is that reliable, why do we produce so much thoroughly reasoned nonsense?

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The Hidden Half: How the World Conceals its Secrets

The Hidden Half: How the World Conceals its Secrets

Posted by | Jan 13, 2021 | |

Why does one smoker die of lung cancer but another live to 100? The answer is ‘The Hidden Half’ – those random, unknowable variables that mess up our attempts to comprehend the world.

We humans are very clever creatures – but we’re idiots about how clever we really are. In this entertaining and ingenious book, Blastland reveals how in our quest to make the world more understandable, we lose sight of how unexplainable it often is. The result – from GDP figures to medicine – is that experts know a lot less than they think.

Filled with compelling stories from economics, genetics, business, and science, The Hidden Half is a warning that an explanation which works in one arena may not work in another. Entertaining and provocative, it will change how you view the world. — amazon.co.uk

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Data: Good, bad or Ugly?

Data: Good, bad or Ugly?

Posted by | Nov 6, 2020 | |

Data is never neutral. It is inextricably linked with theory and narrative, and confirmation bias pre-disposes us to agree or disagree with the narrative. Whether data are good, bad or ugly depends ultimately on your viewpoint.

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