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mayacatherinecreative's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
coreyln's review against another edition
3.0
All the material and examples feed well into the subject of how humans see what they want to see. The examples are pretty recent in the grand scheme of things so it is not hard to find additional information on them if the reader wants to.
I love the subject matter and have a lot of information on the subject so maybe that was the problem with me not getting a lot from this book. There was too much repetition of the points that I skimmed over the last few chapters quickly.
If one is seeking to learn more about how and why people can know things do not add up in a good way and more importantly, the consequences when one makes too many excuses in not addressing what could be a problem, this is a good book.
I love the subject matter and have a lot of information on the subject so maybe that was the problem with me not getting a lot from this book. There was too much repetition of the points that I skimmed over the last few chapters quickly.
If one is seeking to learn more about how and why people can know things do not add up in a good way and more importantly, the consequences when one makes too many excuses in not addressing what could be a problem, this is a good book.
billbang6's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.25
While I found this book informative, and provided a lot of good information on the phenomena "willful blindness". The book used way too many examples set in a business environment that made the chapters very repetitive and a dragged to read. Not to mention, every page was dense with content which at times was informative, but other times exhausting and an information overload. Overall, I would say that it a good read, but make sure to take breaks while reading this to avoid getting your brain fried.
emmkayt's review against another edition
4.0
Explores the tangle of factors that can lead people and organizations to be willfully blind to perils and moral failures. Some of the ground Heffernan covers is familiar (eg the Milgram experiment, Kitty Genovese's death - I remember both of these from first year psychology), but others are fresh and in any case the way she puts her argument together makes it thought-provoking and timely. 3.5 stars.
jonjeffryes's review against another edition
4.0
Heffernan surveys a variety of ways that people will themselves not to see what surrounds them...everything from infidelity to the Enron scandal. At first it feels sort of laundry list-y but Heffernan then ties it altogether. The first and last chapters didn't completely convince me, but the book forces you to reflect on your own behavior and for that I think it's an important read.
supatrey's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of REALLY provocative information here and presented in a thought-provoking way.
But it also contains a fair amount of question-begging and presumptions of fact. That's understandable, I suppose, since outlining an entire treatise on the ethical perspective, research background, and culture from which the author is speaking is usually FAR afield of any text.
I'm not sure if this is a quick read or not. I spent most of my day in airports and so I was able to finish the whole audiobook in a single day of pretty dedicated reading. Nevertheless, I think there's a lot of meat in this book.
The only thing I would say is that you should follow the author's advice and question everything... even the claims she makes both directly and indirectly.
But it also contains a fair amount of question-begging and presumptions of fact. That's understandable, I suppose, since outlining an entire treatise on the ethical perspective, research background, and culture from which the author is speaking is usually FAR afield of any text.
I'm not sure if this is a quick read or not. I spent most of my day in airports and so I was able to finish the whole audiobook in a single day of pretty dedicated reading. Nevertheless, I think there's a lot of meat in this book.
The only thing I would say is that you should follow the author's advice and question everything... even the claims she makes both directly and indirectly.
ckr34ds's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the reason i am making a shelf called must-reads. This wasnt a quick read... it wasnt shake you reality life changing... but if everyone knew the information in this book the world would change for the better immediately. I need everyone to read this book. Especially everyone i might work with.
This book will help you understand so much of why smart people can be so stupid. It will allow you to plan to protect your self from that smart stupidity and that is something that absolutely every smart person should do. If you are stupid you need not bother with this one though. The Secret is on sale somewhere.
This book will help you understand so much of why smart people can be so stupid. It will allow you to plan to protect your self from that smart stupidity and that is something that absolutely every smart person should do. If you are stupid you need not bother with this one though. The Secret is on sale somewhere.
mickymac's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating study of ignoring evil
As society becomes more compliant, why do we disparage dissent and overlook abuse of the weak. Analysing the context of financial scandal and safety breaches that led to disasters such as Texas City, this is a passionate call for change and thought.
As society becomes more compliant, why do we disparage dissent and overlook abuse of the weak. Analysing the context of financial scandal and safety breaches that led to disasters such as Texas City, this is a passionate call for change and thought.
racheldiep's review against another edition
4.0
I am not the biggest fan of nonfiction books in general, but Willful Blindness was engaging and quick to get through. My biggest criticism is that the book doesn't go much into the psychology of willful blindness (e.g. cognitive dissonance), which I was expecting from the title and blurb. For instance, Heffernan also chooses a few politicians as her case studies of those who are willfully blind, and I wish she touched on the science/evidence/psychology behind conservative-leaning people, like in [b:The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science—and Reality|12821470|The Republican Brain The Science of Why They Deny Science—and Reality|Chris C. Mooney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384259835l/12821470._SY75_.jpg|17971120].