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2.78 AVERAGE
2.78 AVERAGE
The book begins with a dismal funk of pessimism, but explodes into an amazing plethora of potential areas of discovery and research.
Think is a book that hits the nail on its head. After all, we are humans, with the most advanced brain on the planet, capable of reasoning that is beyond the comprehension of our nearest cousins. It is surprising, especially to me, how a species as advanced as us can so easily misuse or rather "not" use the gift given to only us - the power to think and reason.
Harrison has been humorous about this topic, far more than I have been when I advocate "using your brain", and is fun to read. And even though he is right to be skeptical, since that's what he's preaching, about many things, one thing needs to be remembered - just because science cannot prove it, doesn't mean it's phooey! 3.5 stars.
Harrison has been humorous about this topic, far more than I have been when I advocate "using your brain", and is fun to read. And even though he is right to be skeptical, since that's what he's preaching, about many things, one thing needs to be remembered - just because science cannot prove it, doesn't mean it's phooey! 3.5 stars.
I don't identify as a skeptic, as many of my friends do, but I apparently have some skeptical tendencies. I thought I was just using critical thinking skills. I think I put this on my list because I thought it would help me teach critical thinking to my students. It will not. This was simplistic and padded with filler. The author tells us to look for evidence but fails to provide guidance on how to distinguish good evidence from bad. I only finished it because it was short.
Poorly edited, childish, over simplified, and strangely lacking in self-awareness for a skeptic book. The illustrations are absurd and given the simplistic and condescending tone of the book make me think it was originally targeted towards children.
Harrison's main goal seems to be to convert people to a skeptical way of thinking about the world, but I doubt he's at all effective at doing so because he regularly compares non-skeptics to man-eating predators, criminals, scam artists, liars, the infected, the diseased, foolish, unthinking, crooks, crazies, smothered, dim, ignorant, weak, enslaved, deluded, irrational, uncritical, unthinking, superstitious, stagnant magic-seekers, stumbling, passive, making up answers, and pretending to know what they don't know. And that's just when he's talking about actual people (not just beliefs). All of this while simultaneously downplaying that EVERYONE has irrational beliefs, skeptics like the author and this reader included.
You can't convert someone and insult them in the same breath. Terrible.
Harrison's main goal seems to be to convert people to a skeptical way of thinking about the world, but I doubt he's at all effective at doing so because he regularly compares non-skeptics to man-eating predators, criminals, scam artists, liars, the infected, the diseased, foolish, unthinking, crooks, crazies, smothered, dim, ignorant, weak, enslaved, deluded, irrational, uncritical, unthinking, superstitious, stagnant magic-seekers, stumbling, passive, making up answers, and pretending to know what they don't know. And that's just when he's talking about actual people (not just beliefs). All of this while simultaneously downplaying that EVERYONE has irrational beliefs, skeptics like the author and this reader included.
You can't convert someone and insult them in the same breath. Terrible.