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When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People

How Philosophy Can Save Us from Ourselves
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( 145 ratings, 32 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People delves into why reasonable individuals sometimes fall prey to flawed reasoning and misinformation. Shapiro and Nadler explore how cognitive biases, emotional factors, and social influences lead to errors in judgement. The book offers insights into developing critical thinking skills to guard against these common pitfalls.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you have an interest in understanding the psychology and philosophy behind human misjudgements and poor reasoning. With engaging insights into why intelligent individuals sometimes embrace flawed thinking, it encourages readers to reflect on their own thought processes and offers strategies to cultivate more rational decision-making.

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"In this book the philosophers Steve Nadler and Lawrence Shapiro will explain why bad thinking happens to good people. Why is it, they ask, that so large a segment of public can go so wrong in both how they come to form the opinions they do and how they fail to appreciate the moral consequences of acting on them."--Publisher's description.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Why the tools of philosophy offer a powerful antidote to today's epidemic of irrationality

There is an epidemic of bad thinking in the world today. An alarming number of people are embracing crazy, even dangerous ideas. They believe that vaccinations cause autism. They reject the scientific consensus on climate change as a "hoax." And they blame the spread of COVID-19 on the 5G network or a Chinese cabal. Worse, bad thinking drives bad actingβ€”it even inspired a mob to storm the U.S. Capitol.

In this book, Steven Nadler and Lawrence Shapiro argue that the best antidote for bad thinking is the wisdom, insights, and practical skills of philosophy. When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People provides an engaging tour through the basic principles of logic, argument, evidence, and probability that can make all of us more reasonable and responsible citizens.

When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People shows how we can more readily spot and avoid flawed arguments and unreliable information; determine whether evidence supports or contradicts an idea; distinguish between merely believing something and knowing it; and much more. In doing so, the book reveals how epistemology, which addresses the nature of belief and knowledge, and ethics, the study of moral principles that should govern our behaviour, can reduce bad thinking. Moreover, the book shows why philosophy's millennia-old advice about how to lead a good, rational, and examined life is essential for escaping our current predicament.

In a world in which irrationality has exploded to deadly effect, When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People is a timely and essential guide for a return to reason.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People by Lawrence Shapiro and Steven Nadler offers a compelling exploration of philosophy's tools to improve reasoning skills. It provides a clear and readable introduction to using these tools effectively, promoting a more reasoned approach to life. The book is praised for its logical, argument-based perspective, demonstrating how to identify and avoid flawed reasoning and unreliable information.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691227955

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 April 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 1 b/w illus.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Steven Nadler is Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of WisconsinMadison. His books include Think Least of Death: Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die (Princeton). Lawrence Shapiro is the Berent Enc Professor of Philosophy at the University of WisconsinMadison. His books include The Miracle Myth: Why Belief in the Resurrection and the Supernatural Is Unjustified

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