認知心理學大師教你拆穿假新聞、假理論,讓圍繞在你身邊的謊言無所遁形。
繼2016年出版《A Field Guide to Lies》,再推出更新版─
一本後真相世代Post-truth不可缺少的思辨指南
我們四周充斥著一堆理論、假新聞,而且這些謊言不斷地重複。紐約時報暢銷作者、認知心理學大師丹尼爾.列維廷(Daniel Levitin)透過調查錯誤的數據,揭露錯誤的統計及圖表將為我們帶來嚴重扭曲的觀點,進而導致我們做出錯誤的結論。
但其實我們能有更好的方式評估新聞、廣告是真是假:利用科學的方法。作者在書中提供許多不同案例,彰顯邏輯思維在不同情境中所能做的應用,諸如法庭證詞、醫學決策以及現代物理學等。這本書能讓我們遠離被欺騙的宿命或是憤世忌俗式的拒絕相信一切,讓我們明辨何為謊言、何為真相,因為在這個不合理的後真理時代,真相就是最重要的一切。(文/博客來編譯)
Previously Published as A Field Guide to Lies
We're surrounded by fringe theories, fake news, and pseudo-facts. These lies are getting repeated. New York Times bestselling author Daniel Levitin shows how to disarm these socially devastating inventions and get the American mind back on track. Here are the fundamental lessons in critical thinking that we need to know and share now.
Investigating numerical misinformation, Daniel Levitin shows how mishandled statistics and graphs can give a grossly distorted perspective and lead us to terrible decisions. Wordy arguments on the other hand can easily be persuasive as they drift away from the facts in an appealing yet misguided way. The steps we can take to better evaluate news, advertisements, and reports are clearly detailed. Ultimately, Levitin turns to what underlies our ability to determine if something is true or false: the scientific method. He grapples with the limits of what we can and cannot know. Case studies are offered to demonstrate the applications of logical thinking to quite varied settings, spanning courtroom testimony, medical decision making, magic, modern physics, and conspiracy theories.
This urgently needed book enables us to avoid the extremes of passive gullibility and cynical rejection. As Levitin attests: Truth matters. A post-truth era is an era of willful irrationality, reversing all the great advances humankind has made. Euphemisms like "fringe theories," "extreme views," "alt truth," and even "fake news" can literally be dangerous. Let's call lies what they are and catch those making them in the act.