The Irrational Ape: Why Flawed Logic Puts us all at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World

by David Robert Grimes

But for all the virtues of our minds, faults in our reasoning are pervasive. Despite the impressive hardware with which we are gifted, we frequently make mistakes ranging from trivial to fatal. While these have blighted us throughout history, it is now more vital than ever that we understand where we can err. We have never been more at the mercy of charlatans and fools, from fraudulent health advice to the emergent phenomena of fake news and viral propaganda. These are not new problems, but the scope of the challenge has changed utterly. We live in an era where instantaneous access to the wealth of human knowledge is at our very fingertips. Yet the paradox is that this same freedom allows misunderstanding, misinformation and falsehoods to perpetuate further and faster than ever before.