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The Assault on Reason

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 4,208 ratings · 593 reviews

A visionary analysis of how the politics of fear, secrecy, cronyism, and blind faith has combined with the degration of the public sphere to create an environment dangerously hostile to reason

At the time George W. Bush ordered American forces to invade Iraq, 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11. Voters in Ohio, when asked by pollsters to list...more

Hardcover, 273 pages

Published May 22nd 2007 by Penguin Press HC, The (first published January 1st 2007)

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Jun 25, 2007 Jerzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This didn't turn out to be the book I was expecting, but I'm quite glad I read it.

I think the biggest moment of insight for me came when I read these lines (and of course all the context around them):
"Respect for our president is important. But even more important is respect for our Constitution."
Indeed!
Many Republicans have denounced Bush-opposers as unpatriotic. Well now, folks, I agree it's important to respect our leaders, but NOT when they blatantly disrespect our Constitution the way the B...more This didn't turn out to be the book I was expecting, but I'm quite glad I read it.

I think the biggest moment of insight for me came when I read these lines (and of course all the context around them):
"Respect for our president is important. But even more important is respect for our Constitution."
Indeed!
Many Republicans have denounced Bush-opposers as unpatriotic. Well now, folks, I agree it's important to respect our leaders, but NOT when they blatantly disrespect our Constitution the way the Bush administration does. Our leader is not what makes us America and ties us together--that would make us a monarchy. What makes America unique is our respect for the rule of law and our Constitution. Thus, failing to hold our leaders to the same law as everyone else is profoundly unpatriotic.

Sadly, Gore cites a survey which "found that more than a third of respondents believed the executive branch has the final say on all issues and can overrule the legislative and judicial branches. Barely half—-53 percent-—believed that the president was required to follow a Supreme Court decision with which he disagreed." No wonder that a huge number of Americans aren't shocked that Bush is acting like an emperor, totally ignoring any laws he doesn't like and avoiding all accountability for his mistakes. They think that's what the president is supposed to do.
Checks and balances, people! If Congress passes a law outlawing torture, and the president disagrees with it (which is in itself inexplicable) but he knows Congress will overpower his veto, he needs either to build a compromise with Congress or just suck it up and stop torturing people. That's how democracies operate. He shouldn't just sign it and then continue doing his own thing anyway!

One day we'll look back on this administration as eight years of foreign rule. Bush et al are not Americans--they don't share our values or abide by our laws. Hopefully in 2008 we'll get a proper American president again who respectfully takes their place as one member of one branch of the government instead of pretending to be the entire government.

So anyhow, this book turned out to be much more of a "here's the case against Bush" sort of deal than I expected, but Gore really does an excellent job of showing the havoc Bush is wreaking across the board.

However! I expected the book to focus on the question of why reason is so undervalued in politics lately. This is explored in more simplistic terms than I was hoping. Basically, Gore says that TV has become the major means of mass communication, but it's so expensive to own and operate a TV station that only rich conglomerates end up being able to transmit information outwards... so that pretty much all the content we see in the media is stuff that's designed to help out rich conglomerates. It's very very hard to get equal time for dissenting viewpoints on TV, and therefore very hard for dissenting viewpoints to be heard widely in general.
This is probably fairly true, and it's probably true too that the Internet will eventually help balance things out. I just wish this discussion had been meatier. The book could have used more background about how things got this way, and a more detailed proposal for how to fix the problem.(less)

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Oct 08, 2007 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Really, I probably would give this book a 3.75 stars, but this system only allows whole digits in its ratings.

This book is great and terrible at the same time. The start and end of this book hit it right on the mark - there is a crisis in how information about our Democracy is being shared. It is clearly being manipulated by corporations and government entities. I whole-heartedly give two-thirds of this book a might big thumbs up.

But there are flaws. A minor one is Gore's understanding of commun...more Really, I probably would give this book a 3.75 stars, but this system only allows whole digits in its ratings.

This book is great and terrible at the same time. The start and end of this book hit it right on the mark - there is a crisis in how information about our Democracy is being shared. It is clearly being manipulated by corporations and government entities. I whole-heartedly give two-thirds of this book a might big thumbs up.

But there are flaws. A minor one is Gore's understanding of communications theory. He keeps repeating as fact the idea that television is a one-way communications channel. While I understand his point since, if you scream at your television, the commercial still will keep playing. The fact is it is a two -way medium. It might be the weakest of two ways, but there are ways to communicate dissatisfaction with television. You can change the channel or simply turn it off. In fact, for the past two years, that's exactly what has been happening. It's true that FOX news is the most popular news channel and that it is making us all mindless drones. Gore's book correctly points out that most news has leaned to the right on most issues, but what he fails to add are two interesting nuggets about Fox's viewer ship - while it is the highest of all the networks, its audience is much smaller than even the third-place network 10 years ago. In fact, television viewer ship is at an all time low when compared to the past 25 years. That's a clear message from the people to TV saying "We hate what you are doing." Ergo, it is a two-way communications model.

However, that's a minor complaint. My biggest complaint about this book is the middle of it. Gore repeatedly complains about the Bush administration and how it has manipulated the media. I dislike the Bush administration and do believe they are all treasonous hacks who should be imprisoned for life, but by harping on it constantly through a great portion of the book, Gore almost makes it seem like the Bush administration is solely responsible for all that is wrong with Democracy in America today. His book would have been better served if he also had used equal examples of how Democrats as well as the two houses of Congress and the Supreme Court as well as local governments have really manipulated the system or just dropped the ball. Gore does not do this. He makes it sound like Bush's cronies have warped the entire system and that before Bush's appointment by the Supreme Court in 2000, everything worked perfectly fine. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my humble opinion. The system of communications in Democracy was far out of whack before Bush even decided to run for president and I think I could argue that Bush has gotten away with a lot of crap over the years because the system was broken before he broke it even further.

While I respect Gore's opinions in this book and believe that his complaints have merit, he would have really put himself in a better light and made this a much better book if he had expressed some of that neutrality that he complains is missing from modern communications today.(less)

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Nov 14, 2011 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who's worried about what's happening to the US

Shelves: history-and-biography

Point

Al Gore Tells You What's Wrong With The US, And How To Fix It

Most Americans agree that their country's on the wrong track, but what exactly is the problem? It's easy to blame it all on Dubya - no one except a few true believers would say he's blameless. But surely there's more to it than that? Al Gore has thought deeply about the issues, and his analysis makes sense. The real strength of the US is in its system of government, but a democracy is only as strong as its citizens. If they aren't...more

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Jan 15, 2008 Elizabeth Fuller rated it 4 of 5 stars

The idea that TV is rotting our brains is nothing new, but the idea that TV and the modern American system of politics by television has completely ruined our democracy is a bit more novel, and that is the main point of this book. Several other things struck me as I was reading this, however: 1. This book, which very bluntly calls out myriad ways in which the current Bush administration has disregarded, denied and dismantled our constitution and historical tradition, could never have been writte...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a very easy read, and as a pretty liberal individual, my views are very well in line with Al Gore's. I know there must be hundreds of anti-Bush books published by now, but if you just read this one, you should get a pretty good sense for the numerous abuses of this current administration. Gore cites many good examples ranging from Katrina to the War on Terror to Global Warming. The entire middle of the book is dedicated to this and eventually, I just wanted to browse through it sin...more This book was a very easy read, and as a pretty liberal individual, my views are very well in line with Al Gore's. I know there must be hundreds of anti-Bush books published by now, but if you just read this one, you should get a pretty good sense for the numerous abuses of this current administration. Gore cites many good examples ranging from Katrina to the War on Terror to Global Warming. The entire middle of the book is dedicated to this and eventually, I just wanted to browse through it since there were so many egregarious abuses of executive power. Reading about this pattern of abuses just got old. I was pretty well-informed on most of the evidence he cites, but his examples really drive the point home. There is a relieving sentiment that I got because no matter who the next president is, he/she cannot possibly be this manipulative and abusive with his/her power (knocking on wood).

One of Gore's main point is that America no longer has a well-informed electorate. Since television is a "one-way communication", there is no forum for discussion. And since propagandists have figured out that the electorate is very responsive to 30 sec commercials on television, politicians spend a exhorbitant portion of their time fundraising to buy 30 second programming, instead of having lengthy, thorough debates. Gore, of course, offers hope that the internet will offer the two-way communication that will restore the public forum for debate. And with my excessive postings on facebook, blogging on the NYT, and this goodreads page, I think Gore is right.

I only gave three stars because I did not receive too many new insights or paradigms of thinking from reading this book.

Two new insights I did get were:
1. Bush is perceived to be a dimwit by most citizens of the United States. But, Gore points out that he is really a smart, calculating individual who successfully misled the majority of Americans into believing that Saddam Hussein was somehow responsible for September 11. He has also successfully hijacked religious doctrine to develop an international policy that suits the special interests that he and Cheney represent.
2. A few months ago, I was surprised to hear that Bush has only vetoed 3 bills in his 7 years in office (#1 was federal funding for addition embryonic stem cell lines, #2 and #3 were expansions of SCHIP - the program providing healthcare to children). How does any President get through office with so few vetoes (not even one per year)? He apparently does it through "signing statements". Signing statements "are written pronouncements that the president issues upon signing a bill into law."
Gore writes, " For example, after American soldiers dishonored and embarassed the country by torturing large numbers of helpless prisoners [Abu Gharaib:], an overwhelming bipartisan majority passed legislation sponsored by three Republican senators -- John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham -- outlawing torture. Bush could have vetoed the law, but COngress almost certainly would have overriden his veto. Instead, he signed the law but announced that he did not, and would not, have to abide by it. This helps to explain why Bush has vetoed only one bill [circa 2006:] during his entire term in office. Why bother, if he can simply decide on his own whim which provisions of a law apply to him and which ones he will simply ignore." (less)

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Oct 25, 2007 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who cares about AMERICA

Shelves: metaphysics-of-media

Gore begins by lamenting the nature of politics in the post-modern United States:

..."Why do reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the way America now makes important decisions?"

American democracy is now in danger—not from any one set of ideas, but from unprecedented changes in the environment within which ideas either live and spread, or wither and die. I do not mean the physical environment; I mean what is called the public sphere, or the marketplace of ideas....

Gore...more

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Sep 06, 2007 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, nonfiction

It's a shame that the people who should read this book never will. Al Gore's critique of the current state of media, politics and democracy in America is thoughtful and thought provoking. His writing is methodical and intelligent, if slightly repetetive and not always clearly structured. The book points out Gore's perspective that our country has fallen into a slump of disinterested, uninformed decision-making. He says one of the major factors contributing to this state is the ubiquitous nature...more

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Jul 24, 2007 Steph Fisher rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: one and all

Gore confronts the Bush administration on issues of policy, ideology, and ethics in a rational manner, and lays out his argument that television and a lack of transparency in the government is causing the trend of an apathetic, cynical public. At first I was skeptical of his argument railing against TV, because it seems like such an easy thing to attack. But it is hard to deny the way television, as the primary source of most American's news and information, has contributed to a lack of civic di...more

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Jul 15, 2007 M rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who really like Al Gore?

This book was OK. I will admit that it was an impulse purchase from the AU campus bookstore the last time I went over there to tie up some loose ends at the Eagle office, and it kind of delivered like an impulse book purchase: not half bad, not half great and kind of monotonous.

Gore's got some good insights (and statistics) about things the Bush administration got wrong ... but nothing I (or any other well-educated person with common sense and an independent mind) haven't noticed already. It's l...more

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Sep 17, 2007 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Americans

Not a quick read, but worth the effort. I'm a pretty big fan of Al Gore. The main concern he addresses is that the shift from print media to television has undermined the involvement of most Americans in the marketplace of ideas and made us more susceptible to getting tricked by our leaders. He talks about how the one-way nature of television that lets us receive information but not send a response creates a kind of learned helplessness where a lot of Americans don't feel like they have any cont...more

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Feb 23, 2008 Travis Kirk rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sociology

After reading this book my sentiment is that Al Gore could be a modern day Abraham Lincoln. His work demonstrates his knowledge of the human condition both through science and scholarship. His book looks at decline reason in Society. Gore quotes many frightening prophecies from men like Thomas Jefferson to show us that the alarm bells have been ringing only we're too ignorant to know what to listen for because we (me included) have never read Jefferson or Thomas Payne. I didn't quite know of his...more

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Feb 05, 2008 Erma Aker rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Rob, Jenn, Bob, Laurie

Excellent book, although you could really start with Chapter 4. The first 3 chapters are a prelude to and set up for the rest of the book. Details the many ways are personal liberties have been curtailed and destroyed under the Bush/Evangelical administration. This book makes you hear things in the news differently and gives a context to the usual 30 second sound bites we get through the media. Very scary though, to think we already have the "disappeared" in America-people who have been declared...more

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Mar 24, 2008 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Every Single American (and Every Single Non-American while we're at it)

Recommended to Melissa by: Professor Kathleen Iannello

THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR EVERY AMERICAN! This book lays out what exactly our government is doing, and how we are letting them systematically destroy "our democracy" and turn it into a Theocracy. It lays out flat how every single report the admin. has gone on to justify our wars has been a lie, often ignoring true reports from independent sources and going with biased reports from interest groups. How they are deleting, re-classifying, and covering up documents on the war, the env...more

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Dec 09, 2008 David rated it 1 of 5 stars

Gore presents his disagreements with his opponents as evidence of their mental inferiority. Even though his critiques of their policies are reasonable, by framing them as a question of smart (him) and dumb (them), he alienates anyone whom he might want to convince of his position. And massively annoys those who are already on his side.

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Jan 10, 2013 Chris White rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a mediocre book that left me wanting more as a reader. I really respect Al Gore and expected a book written by him to be more than just decent. I gave it a rating of 3 stars because while the writing isn't entirely impressive, the arguments made are, for the most part, compelling and persuasive. Mr. Gore does a fine job in grabbing the reader's attention by starting off with a brief overview of the neurological processes by which fear negates reason. He goes on in later chapters to expla...more This is a mediocre book that left me wanting more as a reader. I really respect Al Gore and expected a book written by him to be more than just decent. I gave it a rating of 3 stars because while the writing isn't entirely impressive, the arguments made are, for the most part, compelling and persuasive. Mr. Gore does a fine job in grabbing the reader's attention by starting off with a brief overview of the neurological processes by which fear negates reason. He goes on in later chapters to explain how the Bush administration, and I'm talking about W. here, used unreasonable strategies to manipulate the American public. That was where the book started to lose me. I think everyone and their momma knows that Mr. Gore wasn't the biggest fan of the Bush administration, but I felt as if he was using this book, which was published towards the end of the administration's tenure, to sway the opinion of the reader to dislike the administration. I knew when I started the book that there was probably going to be some Bush-bashing, but at times it seemed unnecessary and slanderous. It isn't all bad by any means, though. One of my favorite points in the book came on page 73 in which Mr. Gore talks about the "double helix" of economic and political freedom. "If wealth can be easily exchanged for power, then the concentration of either can double the corrupting potential of both." Preach it, sister! Mr. Gore does a fantastic job of articulating the fragility of the freest of freedoms that we enjoy in America and how if we choose the wrong leaders and let them manipulate us, then we are to blame for the loss of our freedoms. He doesn't say that in those exact words, of course, but that seems to be the main thesis of the book. Mr. Gore uses quotations from some of the Founding Fathers to further his points by using them as eerie premonitions to the intrusion of our freedoms by the Bush administration. Gore uses logos (the use of logic as a rhetorical strategy) to delineate the wrongs that have been committed by the administration. He questions the logicality of many of the actions of the administration and how we as citizens really should not stand for them. Like I said previously, this seemed to be more slanderous than educational at times. Mr. Gore's ideas in the book are completely logical and intelligent, but he is, in my opinion, a bit biased against the administration he scrutinizes. My biggest complaint would be in regard to the editing. There were multiple editing mistakes I came across in the book that left me a bit puzzled and distracted from the points being made. Mr. Gore is an intelligent individual and I am quite surprised that so many errors were present in syntax of the book. With all of that being said, this book left me torn. I struggle to believe that all of the slander towards the Bush administration is completely necessary, but I also enjoyed most of his arguments regarding the advancement of our country's leadership ideals. All in all, this book is definitely worth a read, whether you're pro or anti-Bush, because it's intelligently written and very well thought out. Kudos to you, Mr. Gore, for speaking your mind and not making me feel bad about how I'm killing the planet in this one.(less)

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Feb 08, 2009 Peter Namtvedt rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: nobody

Al Gore is an example of men who fail in their quest for the highest office despite very clear intelligence and seeming lack of cynicism. I may disagree with his 2006 book, An Inconvenient Truth, but this book The Assault on Reason, seems well argued but hardly deep. It is a fair compendium of Democrat propaganda.

Gore is partly right about the war in Iraq. However, the real problem is not merely that there really was no case for it based on weapons of mass destruction: the right reason to take...more

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Dec 11, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

to requote from previous review, with my answer:

* The squandering of international goodwill over Iraq has caused a threat to our national security, as the world now fears us instead of respects us.
David: stop the invasion with the fake cause of WMD.

* Ignoring the rational arguments of scientists has weakened our environmental security, as shown by the failure to be ready for the known problems Katrina and global warming would cause.
David: stop the HAARP development

* Our excessive dependence on...more to requote from previous review, with my answer:

* The squandering of international goodwill over Iraq has caused a threat to our national security, as the world now fears us instead of respects us.
David: stop the invasion with the fake cause of WMD.

* Ignoring the rational arguments of scientists has weakened our environmental security, as shown by the failure to be ready for the known problems Katrina and global warming would cause.
David: stop the HAARP development

* Our excessive dependence on imported oil continues to weaken our energy security.
David: true..but a long way to go to get rid of these oil companies, lobbyists, isn't it?

* Our liberty is threatened when our government uses fear and raw power -- instead of reasoned argument -- to get what it wants domestically.
David: true..but look, Obama signed NDAA in 2011!

* And finally, Gore says our general welfare is threatened when our government stops serving all its people, and instead skews its policies toward the wealthy and privileged.
David: NDAA helps???? contradictory to the politicians' hidden agendas..

Actually, the book closes by arguing that, now more than ever, our citizens must be well informed and must feel like they are part of the political process. It holds out hope that the internet is the key, and that television could play a part by doing things like scheduling Congressional debates in prime time. Gore also claims that we need additional campaign reform, including making contributions more transparent.

My favorite part of the book is early on, when Gore argues that the main cause of the decline of reasoned political thought is television. He contends that when more Americans started getting their news from TV instead of newspapers, the emphasis changed from reading, an activity that by its nature activates the parts of the brain involved with reasoning, to watching, which elicits emotion but not thought. Recalling the words of Thomas Jefferson, Gore writes: "The 'well-informed citizenry' is in danger of becoming the 'well-amused audience.'"

David: true..Kill your TV..but research more on the "truth" this book did not tell you..so tell me something I don't know. Mr. Gore.(less)

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Apr 24, 2012 Cliff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although Al Gore is a bit of a weeny personally; this book was amazing! Any and all intelligent Americans today must feel as I do about the absolute lunacy of our political system failing us. We are not a democracy anymore. We are not a free society anymore. We have become a police state with fake news, fake wars and worse: a FAKE democracy of absolute liars, criminals, and an insane profit driven cronies working for Oil, Pharmacy, Prison, and the Military Industrial Complex. This is not a consp...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

A good book on the importance of two-way dialogue in our democracy and a scathing critique of the failed Bush administration. Despite the number of times I read about it, it still never ceases to amaze me how dangerous the current administration has become to our basic rights as citizens and how important this current election is for our country. I also completely agree with Mr. Gore that we as Americans are no longer communicating effectively with one another in the "marketplace of ideas" to ma...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Anthony rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-make-you-think, politics

I couldn't get through the whole book. The first half was alright because Gore made some interesting points:

1. TV is a one-way medium that the govt. uses to inflict fear and brainwash citizens with deception and propaganda. Because the average American spends 4.5 hours a day watching TV, we have become indolent, stupid, and unable to reason. As a result, the citizenry is uninformed about global affairs, and has no idea what the hell the government is up to. This essentially means that we're unab...more I couldn't get through the whole book. The first half was alright because Gore made some interesting points:

1. TV is a one-way medium that the govt. uses to inflict fear and brainwash citizens with deception and propaganda. Because the average American spends 4.5 hours a day watching TV, we have become indolent, stupid, and unable to reason. As a result, the citizenry is uninformed about global affairs, and has no idea what the hell the government is up to. This essentially means that we're unable to stop the government from doing incompetent things i.e. the War on Terror. This also means that a check and balance that is imperative to America is gone. The informed citizenry is no longer intelligent enough to reason out, discuss, and abolish the decadence in the government.

2. Because TV is an expensive medium, politicians need inordinate amounts of money to communicate with us. Thus, politicians team up with big corporations for money, corporations corrupt politicians, and you have a corrupt government.

3. Because corporations and greedy politicians now want money, politics is no longer about who has the most logical argument. All they have to do is apply demagoguery and hope that we fall for it, which we do because it's very appealing to [insert your party here]. And also because we're no longer intelligent, they don't need to have a logical argument. A vicious cycle indeed.

After the first half I was bored to tears. It's called "The Assault on Reason" but Al Gore just begins to throw crap out of his mouth about how the Bush Administration is doing this and this. Once you read about three chapters of this you get the point. They violated points of the constitution that were near and dear to the hearts of the American citizenry. Cool, can you stop now? But he doesn't. For another four chapters he drawls on and on about the atrocities that Bush has committed and how reason is the only way to reestablish order in our society. He's essentially reiterating everything he said in the first half of the book, and it's not entertaining at all.

Read this if you love Al Gore! (less)

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Jun 13, 2011 Benjamin rated it 4 of 5 stars

One part Bush-bashing (enjoyable if not particularly novel), one part Al Gore being Al Gore (wistful could-have-beens are only so useful now that we're past the Bush days), and one part biting critique of how the nature of television as a one-way, controlled-by-the-powerful medium (that furthermore operates on primitive emotional reactions as much as or more so than well-reasoned thought), has been ruining the quality of public discourse in America for decades, but how the internet as a two-way,...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Joe Henry rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this book, AG has pulled together, supported, and articulated a thesis that resonates with thoughts, worries, and concerns I have been having for years now. That is, watching the elections and politics of the last decade, being somewhat aware of the thrusts and “rhetoric” of right-wing talk shows, and seeing the garbage that floats around the internet, it strikes me that critical thinking is at an alarmingly low ebb in our country. One of the central theses of the book is that our democracy b...more In this book, AG has pulled together, supported, and articulated a thesis that resonates with thoughts, worries, and concerns I have been having for years now. That is, watching the elections and politics of the last decade, being somewhat aware of the thrusts and “rhetoric” of right-wing talk shows, and seeing the garbage that floats around the internet, it strikes me that critical thinking is at an alarmingly low ebb in our country. One of the central theses of the book is that our democracy began and grew in a time when ideas were communicated in print but now television has supplanted newspapers in particular and reading/writing in general. And while people are doing less reading/writing, their proclivity for critical thinking also apparently has diminished. The hazards to our democracy include, for example, that TV “dumbs down” the issues, is one-way “communication,” and is expensive (accessible only to the wealthy).

In addition to acknowledgements, there is a section of notes and an index. The notes are not referenced in the body of the text; instead they are listed by page number and key word/phrase. So, if you are curious about source or want additional information, you can turn to the notes and look under page number for the key word/phrase—but you can’t know from the body of the text that there is such a note. I would prefer to have a reference in the body of the text and notes in a section at the end of the book.

AG summarizes in the book’s introduction (p.21 f):

“In chapters 1-5, I identify and describe the enemies of reason. This section draws the connection between the withdrawal of reason from the public sphere and the resulting vacuum that is filled by fear, superstition, ideology, deception, intolerance, and obsessive secrecy as a means of tightening control over the information that a free society needs to govern itself according to reason-based democracy.

“Chapters 6-8 assess the damage that has already occurred as a result of the progressive substitution of raw power and institutionalized corruption for reason and logic in politics important to our survival: national security, environmental security, energy security, the protection of our liberty, and the promotion of the general welfare.”

Finally, he offers a “roadmap for restoring the health and vitality of American democracy and proposes a strategy for the reintroduction of reason to its proper role at the heart of the deliberative process of self-government.”
(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Daniel Solera rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: current-events, nobel-prize, politics

I should have read this book back when it was originally published in 2007. Today, it reads like a blunt statement of the obvious, mixed with a lot of resentment toward the results of the 2000 Presidential Elections. In the years since he lost the election to George W. Bush, Al Gore has become a very polarizing public figure. To those on the left, he is an inspirational leader and philanthropist; to those on the right he’s a liberal hack and an environmental alarmist. I fit in the former categor...more I should have read this book back when it was originally published in 2007. Today, it reads like a blunt statement of the obvious, mixed with a lot of resentment toward the results of the 2000 Presidential Elections. In the years since he lost the election to George W. Bush, Al Gore has become a very polarizing public figure. To those on the left, he is an inspirational leader and philanthropist; to those on the right he’s a liberal hack and an environmental alarmist. I fit in the former category, though I lament the fact that his efforts to rally the world behind climate change awareness have become so unnecessarily politicized.

The Assault on Reason begins as one would expect: philosophically. Gore deliberates on the nature of democracy, popular voice, freedom of speech, of the press, and what it means to have a reasonable, informed populace, electing a government that operates with the consent of the governed. He delves into the fact that an independent media is necessary to disseminate unbiased coverage in order to inform the citizenry for the benefit of the democratic process; that the Founders’ system of Checks and Balances was created to curb people’s natural proclivities towards power; and among many other points, that reason should never be obscured through fear or intimidation.

After eloquently expounding on these virtues, he spends the rest of the book explaining how the Bush Administration squandered them. He argues that no reasonable debate took place before invading Iraq; no action was taken prior to September 11, despite the fact that top Bush officials had reasonable suspicion that something nefarious was afoot; time and time again the administration has ignored the scientific consensus on man-caused climate change in favor of chemical and energy companies; despite the independence of the Judiciary Branch, conservatives have repeatedly threatened judges because of particular decisions, etc.

It’s not long before I get absolutely fed up. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read enough about Bush’s disastrous administration or if it’s because I can hear Al Gore’s drone of a voice in my head as I read it. But the point is, this book was written by someone whose knack for explaining a problem is matched by his grounded, even-keeled attitude towards the world around him. It depresses me even further that he didn’t rightfully claim the presidency.

However, the book is 90% problem, 10% solution and the latter can be summed up with two words: the Internet. Gore believes that the solution to the decay of our policy and intellectual standards can be remedied by turning the exchange of information in the “market of ideas” into a two-way street, rather than through the unidirectional television through which the majority of Americans still receive their news and editorial content. I’m not absolutely sold on this magic bullet, especially because the internet can be an equally loud, if not louder echo chamber for one’s own opinions. He does push for net neutrality, thus attempting to keep the internet from becoming the next bastion of unbridled neoliberalism, which, in my opinion, is a great thing.(less)

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May 28, 2009 Shaun rated it 2 of 5 stars

I usually don’t read books by politicians, mainly because it’s usually a book displaying why the other side is wrong or putting forth some ideology. But when I was Gore’s book and the title, I told myself, “this book is going to be different.” After all, he isn’t a politician anymore and I thought, just based on the title, that this book would be talking about society instead of politics. I was mistaken. At times, Gore seems to show off his erudite knowledge. However, these little tangents sugge...more I usually don’t read books by politicians, mainly because it’s usually a book displaying why the other side is wrong or putting forth some ideology. But when I was Gore’s book and the title, I told myself, “this book is going to be different.” After all, he isn’t a politician anymore and I thought, just based on the title, that this book would be talking about society instead of politics. I was mistaken. At times, Gore seems to show off his erudite knowledge. However, these little tangents suggest that it helps his case.

I don’t want to sound stereotypical, but Gore’s book was kind of boring. (Insert Al Gore joke here.) I eventually got turned off because his intro says that he isn’t talking about the Bush administration, but in every subsequent chapter, it was basically stating why the Bush administration has made things worse for the country. While I agree that the Bush administration has been disastrous for our country, it seems disingenuous to say that the book isn’t about the Bush administration, but it turns out that it is.

In chapter one, Gore talks about how after 9/11, the Bush administration took advantage of the situation to get the country geared for the War in Iraq. The Bush administration played on the fear of the country and if there’s fear, you can play into the American public and convince people to do whatever is needed. Something to add here, it turns out that the British were “dragged” into the war as well. While I agree that the Bush administration took advantage of the situation and played on the American’s fear, I’m wondering if other politicians have done this. Hobbes has suggested that what moves and drives politics is fear.

Chapter two. Gore talks about how Bush took advantage of the religious particularities to suggest that invading Iraq was a religious “crusade.” Indeed, Bush has said that being a Christian is part of his foreign policy. By playing into this, he appealed to the dogmas of society so that it bypasses the debates and arguments about whether the War in Iraq was needed. Gore does admit that the Iraq War is debatable, but a debate is better than bypassing one.

Chapter Three. Gore talks about wealth. With TV, radio, and the internet without having a sovereign, it has no regulations. People can take advantage of this and the media can play into people’s predilections to buy and purchase things that they didn’t realize they needed. Capitalism, by its very nature, makes things unequal. But in a democracy, it calls for the equality of people. I’m not an expert on economics, but I can’t help but see a correlation between democracies and capitalism. It seems impossible to have a capitalistic society without democracy (even with the converse being false). Gore doesn’t talk much about Bush, but without regulations, the Bush administration let everything go chaotic to the point where it leads to an economic mess that we’re in today.

Chapter four. In this chapter, Gore points out the both Bush and Cheney either purposely ignored information about the War in Iraq, or else they didn’t care. Either way, they aren’t capable of leadership. Constantly, information about the War in Iraq suggested that the war would be time consuming and troublesome. However, Bush and Cheney convinced the American people that it would be a swift war. However, with them purposely ignoring evidence, this has lead us into a disastrous state of affairs.

Chapter five. Gore talks about how this War on Terror has made the prisoners into a different kind of prisoner. These prisoners aren’t POWs, but they aren’t your common criminals. They are “unlawful enemy combatants.” But with these words, anyone can be an “unlawful enemy combatant” just by the President declaring these magic words. Strictly speaking, I could be one if the President decided that I was a threat to the country. With this, the rights of the individual are downgraded because security is at the most highest priority. Indeed, 90 percent of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib did not have any information. I’m sure the same is at Guantanamo. Also, anyone can be detained without knowing why one is detained.

Chapter six. Gore talks about how the Bush Administration’s actions have actually hindered our national security. Because of Iraq, al-Qaeda has gained more members, Iraq has diverted our attention away from the real enemy (in Afghanistan), and America has had a tarnished reputation around the world. Ironically, the War in Iraq is the best recruitment tool for al-Qaeda gaining about 18,000 more members since the wake of the war in Iraq. Retired generals have displayed that this was a strategical error, but the Bush Administration dismissed them simply because they are retired. What does Gore recommend? He states that after we pushed the Taliban out, we should have stayed to gain a more secure force in Afghanistan. Our military was in favor of it. But we diverted our attention to Iraq and now the Taliban came back with the same strength in 2006. (Now it’s 2009 and they’re even stronger than they were in 2001.)

Chapter seven. Gore talks about how Bush and ExxonMobile are together in “solving” the pollution crisis. Lobbyists come to Bush supporting the oil industry and they convince Bush there is no need to pay attention to any of the global climate situation.

Chapter eight. Gore talks about how our Founders wanted to have three branches of government to keep each other in check. But Congress doesn’t question the Bush Administration or follows him dogmatically, and the Supreme Court has lobbyists who take the judges out in order to educate them in an ideological point of view. To me, this was the strongest chapter. This chapter actually talks about how reason is being ignored because the government appeals to the emotions or some dogmatic idealogy. Everything is subservient to the Executive branch of power.

Chapter nine. The solution is to bring reason back into politics. I was amazed at some of the studies that Gore presented. When college students were presented with the First Amendment, that was the first time they’d heard of it! Indeed, after they heard it, these students thought that the First Amendment “went too far.” I couldn’t believe that. But also, Gore’s solution is to let the little people’s voices be heard. Part of this means that technology and the Internet will have to play a big role.

So what do I think of this? All in all, I think it was a typical response from someone like Gore. Mainly, I wasn’t surprised by what he said. However, there was something in there that he constantly brought up that made me cringe. Gore kept on saying that we need to bring reason back into democracy. I hate to tell you this, Gore, but democracy and reason are antithetical to each other. Democracy is about the “tyranny of the majority,” the huddled masses, and the herd mentality. We see this in Plato, Mill, and Dewey. Of course, each of them had various solutions but I can’t believe that democracy and reason go together. It seems that democracy, by its very nature, is unrational. That’s why we have politicans. We trust them to be rational and to look out for us. Of course, the whole idea is that we’re supposed to be watching the government, but sorry to say this, a democracy doesn’t work that way. People in a democracy are fickle, lousy, and just plain dumb. Sure there are smart people, but those are rare indeed. Given a group of Americans, I can guarentee you that less than 50% will not know much about politics. Gore even admits that. So while Gore’s solution is predictable, I can’t help but think that the problems of democracy has been around since Plato. Gore’s solution of “bring reason back to democracy” seems weak. How, do I ask, can we bring reason “back to democracy” if democracy was never rational to begin with? Gore brings some insight in the background of politics. Unfortunately, his solution, I find, is weak at best, and utopian at worst.(less)

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Sep 22, 2011 Dave Lefevre rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: political

I agree with all the theses that are in this book, but I have to say that the writing itself has A LOT of problems. As a matter of fact it looks like it could of used a lot of work by a good editor. It uses a lot of examples from the Bush administration, and while I agree with the examples the sections that use the Bush examples come off as a rant.

All the excesses and corruptions in the Bush administration come from its relentless drive to gain more power and funnel money to their corporate bud...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Lamia Al-Qahtani rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

مؤلف الكتاب هو آل جور السياسي الأمريكي ونائب الرئيس الأمريكي بيل كلينتون في فترتيه الرئاسيتين وهو ناشط معروف في مجال الحفاظ على البيئة والطاقة وقد قدّم فيلما وثائقيا عن هذا الموضوع وحاز على الأوسكار عام ٢٠٠٧ ، وحاز آل جور على جائزة نوبل للسلام لنشاطه في مجال التغيير المناخي.
هذه المقدمة عن المؤلف ضرورية لفهم هذا الكتاب الذي شن فيه هجوما على الرئيس جورج بوش الابن وإدارته وسياسته في إدارة الحرب وهجومه على العقل في تسعة فصول هي: سياسات الخوف - تضليل المؤمنين - سياسات الثروة - أكاذيب محبوكة - هجوم عل...more مؤلف الكتاب هو آل جور السياسي الأمريكي ونائب الرئيس الأمريكي بيل كلينتون في فترتيه الرئاسيتين وهو ناشط معروف في مجال الحفاظ على البيئة والطاقة وقد قدّم فيلما وثائقيا عن هذا الموضوع وحاز على الأوسكار عام ٢٠٠٧ ، وحاز آل جور على جائزة نوبل للسلام لنشاطه في مجال التغيير المناخي.
هذه المقدمة عن المؤلف ضرورية لفهم هذا الكتاب الذي شن فيه هجوما على الرئيس جورج بوش الابن وإدارته وسياسته في إدارة الحرب وهجومه على العقل في تسعة فصول هي: سياسات الخوف - تضليل المؤمنين - سياسات الثروة - أكاذيب محبوكة - هجوم على الفرد - انعدام الأمن القومي -أزمة الكربون - الديموقراطية في خطر - جماعة مواطنين وثيقة الصلة.
في مقدمة الكتاب يتساءل المؤلف عن سبب اعتقاد أكثر من نصف الأمريكيين أن لنظام صدام علاقة بتفجيرات ١١-٩ بعد أكثر من مرور خمس سنوات على غزو العراق وبعد أن تم إثبات أن نظام صدام لا علاقة له بالقاعدة ولا نية للعراق في التسلح النووي، من الذي خدع الشعب الأمريكي؟ ومن الذي حاول السيطرة على عقله؟ هذا ما يحاول الإجابة عنه في فصول الكتاب.
في الفصل الأول سياسات الخوف يبدأ بالعبارات التالية: "الخوف أقوى أعداء العقل، والخوف والعقل جوهريان لحياة الإنسان، لكن العلاقة بينهما غير متوازنة فقد يبدد العقل الخوف أحيانا لكن الخوف يغلق العقل دوما.
يبين كيف استطاع نظام بوش الحصول على تأييد للحرب على العراق باستغلال الخوف وإحساس الشعب أنه مهدد وفي خطر مما يجعله يؤيد من يريد أمنه ولو كان مقابله تقييد الحريات أو السلوكيات غير الأخلاقية مثل فضيحة تعذيب السجناء في أبو غريب التي لم يستنكرها كثير من الشعب لإحساسه بالخطر من هؤلاء الذين اتضح أنه ٩٩٪ منهم أبرياء، وكيف تم استغلال وسائل الإعلام وبالأخص التلفاز للتأثير على الرأي العام في هجوم سافر على عقول الناس، ويقتبس المؤلف لاستاذ علم الإجتماع في جامعة كالفورنيا باري جلاسنر قوله: هناك ثلاث أساليب تكوّن معا "المتاجرة بالخوف" وهي : التكرار، وجعل غير المألوف مألوفا، والتضليل، وباستخدام هذه الأدوات القصصية يمكن لأي شخص لديه منبر مسموع أن يزيد قلق الناس ومخاوفهم وذلك عن طريق تشويه الخطاب والعقل العام.
وفي كل الفصول التالية يتكلم عن أخطاء إدارة بوش وفضائحها وكيف حصلت على هذه الامتيازات عن طريق هجومها على عقول الناس باستخدام الدعاية المضللة والسيطرة على وسائل الإعلام والتخويف والبروباغاندا واستخدام الثروة لشراء الأصوات مما يقوّض اسس الديموقراطية التي قامت عليها أمريكا وتشويه صورتها في العالم.
الكتاب لا يعتبر فضائحيا بقدر ما يتكلم عن أخطاء وسبب سكوت الناس عنها وكيف سيؤدي هذا السكوت لأخطاء أخرى تضر بالمستقبل الأمريكي الذي حافظ على ديموقراطيته خلال ٢٠٠ سنة كانت نموذجا للجمهورية التي يحكمها القانون وليس الرجال، وهو يوجه كلامه للشعب الأمريكي ويحذره من هذا التخدير الذي تمارسه إدارة بوش.
الكتاب جيد والمؤلف واعٍ بما يكتبه ويقدمه في ظل خبرته سواء كنائب للرئيس أو كناشط في مجال البيئة والذي طالته أيدي بوش بالتدمير أيضا
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Oct 13, 2012 J. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I got this book as a gift from a friend when it was new. I've never been a big fan of Al Gore but did vote for him when he ran. I liked the book very much and appreciated his thoughtful analysis of today's political landscape.

I'm about half way through a second reading and I like it better now than before. The book rings especially true and current today - more so than when first published - as now many of his assertions about the Bush Administration and politics in general are more clearly jus...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Sven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

The title is only part of the coverage of this book. Al Gore argues that the influence of television has degraded our ability to use reason in our political and social life. He argues that reading printed material engages our higher reasoning, but that TV hits our brains at an emotional level, and thus we don't use logic and reason nearly as much in the decades since TV has become dominant. He also points out that television is one-way, non-interactive, and that very few people have the ability...more

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Aug 04, 2009 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Al Gore has written a well-reasoned critique of the Administration's leadership (or lack of same). He draws on Chomsky and other progressive critics. This book is surprisingly direct for a practicing politician. Of course, the environmental parts are the hardest-hitting.
If the conservative coup in 2000 had been prevented, this country, under Gore, would have had liberty and justice for all, not just the superrich.

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Jan 26, 2008 Andrea Hagen-Arndt rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a must read in an election year. Gore outlines how television, a cool medium, has reduced political discourse to sounds bites. He pleads to a return to reasoned discourse, perhaps through the internet and blogs. The analysis is outstanding and disturbing. His solutions are not fully formed. Is there a way out of being observers back into being participants. He's doing a good job of it himself.

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About Al Gore

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. was the forty-fifth Vice President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore also served in the U. S. House of Representatives (1977–85) and the U. S. Senate (1985–93), representing Tennessee. Gore was the Democratic nominee for president in the 2000 election, ultimately losing to the Republican candidate George W. Bush in spite...more

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Books by Al Gore

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit

Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming: Teen Edition

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“The rule of reason is the true sovereign in the American system.” — 2 people liked it

“عندما يكون ما تقوم به الحكومة متاحا بالكامل لفحص مواطنيها وخاضعا للمناقشة والجدال الفعال، يصبح من الصعب إخفاء الاستخدام الفاسد للسلطة العامة من أجل مكاسب شخصية، وإذا كان حكم العقل هو المعيار الذي يقوّم به كل استخدام للسلطة الرسمية، يمكن عندئذ لجماعة المواطنين الواعية الكشف عن أشد خطط خرق الثقة العامة تعقيدا وضبطها، إضافة إلى ذلك فإنه عندما تصعد الأفكار أو تهبط حسب جدارتها، يميل العقل إلى دفعنا في اتجاه قرارات تعكس أفضل المتاح من حكمة الجماعة كلها.” — 1 person liked it

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