Author : Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 18,62 MB
Release : 2014
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1476726639
A collection of controversial essays touches upon an array of issues, from marriage equality and conspiracy theories to animal rights.
Author : Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 16,36 MB
Release : 2014-03-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1476726647
The most controversial essays from the bestselling author once called the most dangerous man in America—collected for the first time. The nation’s most-cited legal scholar who for decades has been at the forefront of applied behavioral economics, and the bestselling author of Nudge and Simpler, Cass Sunstein is one of the world’s most innovative thinkers in the academy and the world of practical politics. In the years leading up to his confirmation as the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Sunstein published hundreds of articles on everything from same-sex marriage to cost-benefit analysis. Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas is a collection of his most famous, insightful, relevant, and inflammatory pieces. Within these pages you will learn: • Why perfectly rational people sometimes believe crazy conspiracy theories • What wealthy countries should and should not do about climate change • Why governments should allow same-sex marriage, and what the “right to marry” is all about • Why animals have rights (and what that means) • Why we “misfear,” meaning get scared when we should be unconcerned and are unconcerned when we should get scared • What kinds of losses make us miserable, and what kinds of losses are absolutely fine • How to find the balance between religious freedom and gender equality • And much more... Cass Sunstein is a unique, controversial, and exciting voice in the political world. A man who cuts through the fog of left vs. right arguments and offers logical, evidence-based, and often surprising solutions to today’s most challenging questions.
Author : Nancy L. Rosenblum
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 33,12 MB
Release : 2020-02-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0691204756
How the new conspiracists are undermining democracy—and what can be done about it Conspiracy theories are as old as politics. But conspiracists today have introduced something new—conspiracy without theory. And the new conspiracism has moved from the fringes to the heart of government with the election of Donald Trump. In A Lot of People Are Saying, Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum show how the new conspiracism differs from classic conspiracy theory, how it undermines democracy, and what needs to be done to resist it.
Author : Jan-Willem Prooijen
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 124 pages
File Size : 36,35 MB
Release : 2018-04-09
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 1315525399
Who believes in conspiracy theories, and why are some people more susceptible to them than others? What are the consequences of such beliefs? Has a conspiracy theory ever turned out to be true? The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories debunks the myth that conspiracy theories are a modern phenomenon, exploring their broad social contexts, from politics to the workplace. The book explains why some people are more susceptible to these beliefs than others and how they are produced by recognizable and predictable psychological processes. Featuring examples such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and climate change, The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories shows us that while such beliefs are not always irrational and are not a pathological trait, they can be harmful to individuals and society.
Author : Rob Brotherton
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 45,77 MB
Release : 2015-11-19
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 147291564X
'A first class book' Sunday Times We're all conspiracy theorists. Some of us just hide it better than others. Conspiracy theorists do not wear tin-foil hats (for the most part). They are not just a few kooks lurking on the paranoid fringes of society with bizarre ideas about shape-shifting reptilian aliens running society in secret. They walk among us. They are us. Everyone loves a good conspiracy. Yet conspiracy theories are not a recent invention. And they are not always a harmless curiosity. In Suspicious Minds, Rob Brotherton explores the history and consequences of conspiracism, and delves into the research that offers insights into why so many of us are drawn to implausible, unproven and unproveable conspiracy theories. They resonate with some of our brain's built-in quirks and foibles, and tap into some of our deepest desires, fears, and assumptions about the world. The fascinating and often surprising psychology of conspiracy theories tells us a lot – not just why we are drawn to theories about sinister schemes, but about how our minds are wired and, indeed, why we believe anything at all. Conspiracy theories are not some psychological aberration – they're a predictable product of how brains work. This book will tell you why, and what it means. Of course, just because your brain's biased doesn't always mean you're wrong. Sometimes conspiracies are real. Sometimes, paranoia is prudent.
Author : Christopher Hodapp
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 22,20 MB
Release : 2011-02-04
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1118052021
Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics have completely changed: black means white, up is down, and if you want to understand what’s really going on, you need a good reference book. That’s where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in. Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51 and the assassination of JFK — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and helps you the global impact of these mysterious events and groups on our modern world. Discover how to: Test a conspiracy theory Spot a sinister secret society Assess the Internet’s role in fueling conspiracy theories Explore world domination schemes Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories Figure out who “they” are Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built Figure out whether what “everybody knows” is true Distinguish on assassination brotherhood from another Understand why there’s no such thing as a “lone assassin” Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, while buns come in eight-packs? Everybody knows its a conspiracy, right? Find out in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies.
Author : Michael Barkun
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 17,10 MB
Release : 2003
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780520248120
Unravelling the genealogies and permutations of conspiracist worldviews, this work shows how this web of urban legends has spread among sub-cultures on the Internet and through mass media, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture.
Author : David Ray Griffin
Publisher : Interlink Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 38,29 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Conspiracies
ISBN : 9781566568210
Former Chicago and Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, who in 2009 was appointed by President Barack Obama to direct an important executive branch office, had in 2008 co-authored an article containing a plan for the government to prevent the spread of anti-government 'conspiracy theories,' in which he advocated the use of anonymous government agents to engage in 'cognitive infiltration' of these groups in order to break them up. In his new book, Griffin focuses on the fact that Sunstein's primary target is the conspiracy theory advocated by the 9/11 Truth Movement. Examining Sunstein's charge that this theory is both 'harmful' and 'demonstrably false,' Griffin uses both satire and overwhelming evidence to show that this twofold charge applies instead to what Sunstein calls 'the true conspiracy theory' about 9/11--namely, the 'theory that al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11.'
Author : Eric Berkowitz
Publisher : Beacon Press
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 48,40 MB
Release : 2021-05-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0807036242
A fascinating examination of how restricting speech has continuously shaped our culture, and how censorship is used as a tool to prop up authorities and maintain class and gender disparities Through compelling narrative, historian Eric Berkowitz reveals how drastically censorship has shaped our modern society. More than just a history of censorship, Dangerous Ideas illuminates the power of restricting speech; how it has defined states, ideas, and culture; and (despite how each of us would like to believe otherwise) how it is something we all participate in. This engaging cultural history of censorship and thought suppression throughout the ages takes readers from the first Chinese emperor’s wholesale elimination of books, to Henry VIII’s decree of death for anyone who “imagined” his demise, and on to the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the volatile politics surrounding censorship of social media. Highlighting the base impulses driving many famous acts of suppression, Berkowitz demonstrates the fragility of power and how every individual can act as both the suppressor and the suppressed.
Author : John Brockman
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 19,50 MB
Release : 2009-10-13
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN : 0061844802
The world's leading scientific thinkers explore bold, remarkable, perilous ideas that could change our lives—for better . . . or for worse . . . From Copernicus to Darwin, to current-day thinkers, scientists have always promoted theories and unveiled discoveries that challenge everything society holds dear; ideas with both positive and dire consequences. Many thoughts that resonate today are dangerous not because they are assumed to be false, but because they might turn out to be true. What do the world's leading scientists and thinkers consider to be their most dangerous idea? Through the leading online forum Edge (www.edge.org), the call went out, and this compelling and easily digestible volume collects the answers. From using medication to permanently alter our personalities to contemplating a universe in which we are utterly alone, to the idea that the universe might be fundamentally inexplicable, What Is Your Dangerous Idea? takes an unflinching look at the daring, breathtaking, sometimes terrifying thoughts that could forever alter our world and the way we live in it. Contributors include Daniel C. Dennett • Jared Diamond • Brian Greene • Matt Ridley • Howard Gardner and Freeman Dyson, among others
