The Irrational Ape: Why We Fall for Disinformation, Conspiracy Theory and Propaganda

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He is incorrect that there is ‘nothing wrong with holding religious beliefs’. Religious beliefs are predicated upon argument from authority, revelation and ad-hoc reasoning. Platonic reasoning led to self-referential paradoxes being introduced into Christian theology. These are all ‘irrational’ ways of forming a belief. This is a standout example of what David Robert Grimes describes as flawed logic, and how it puts us at real risk. The author has set himself the not inconsiderable task of unravelling the many tangled ways in which we deceive ourselves and one another. One possible solution? Learning to think like scientists. We may not have to save the planet from nuclear annihilation, of course, but our ability to think critically has never been more important . In a world where fake news , mistrust of experts , prejudice and ignorance all too often hold sway, we can all too easily be misled. We live in an era where access to all the knowledge in the world is at our fingertips, yet that also means misinformation and falsehoods can spread further and faster than ever before. While there is much concern today over the risks posed by fake news, some studies would suggest all is far from lost. Trust in the traditional press has fallen but it appears to be rising again. While trust in the internet saw a large rise, it appears to be reducing.

Sometimes trust is shattered. People make mistakes. Where science makes mistakes, these errors should be self-corrected, as soon as possible. Evidence-based science is vital to human progress. Adolf Hitler: In profile by US expertise Humans are great believers in superstition. How is that so? That is another area discussed in the book. Humans have a strong urge to connect two unrelated phenomena, and if they are close enough, the tendency to believe one is the cause of the other, is especially strong. Another very fascinating chapter is, ‘The Memory Remains’. Do we know how often we fool ourselves? How do we do that? Memory is the culprit. Our memories deteriorate and alter over time and it can reach points in which we not only recall things that never happened, or had happened to someone else. We need to examine our memories critically, and demand proof as exacting as we demand of the testimony of others. As a way of avoiding dissonance and estrangement from valued groups, individuals subconsciously resist factual information that threatens their defining values. The fact that many faux sceptics are otherwise intelligent can mislead. “One might assume that rationality is a byproduct of intelligence, but there is little correlation between intelligence and rationality,” Grimes notes. Systematic inquiry

Grimes is a science journalist and communicator. He undertakes here to battle the epidemic of misinformation--both the malicious and the unintentional--that is sweeping the world, by educating the reader on the fundamentals of reason and rational thought.

With a cast of murderous popes,snake-oil salesmen and superstitious pigeons, find out why flawed logic puts us all at risk, and how critical thinking can save the world. Uses the trappings and terminology of scientific publication to push unscientific conclusions, to market useless or harmful products and conspiracy theories. Witness marijuana as panacea, or creationism.

The author uses the scientifically incorrect term ‘people of colour’ when referring to darker skinned people. He is either a not very competent physicist (which I doubt) or he is willing to forego truth for expediency, something he decries in politicians and Christian apologists within his book. One might glibly think that critical thinking is not particularly important. You would be wrong! By means of numerous well-referenced examples throughout history, Dr Grimes shows how critical thinking can literally help prevent injustice, save lives and avoid future disaster. He quotes the late Carl Sagan as observing: “We’ve arranged a global civilisation in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster.” Fingertip falsehoods