The Duck That Won The Lottery And 99 Other Bad Arguments
The Sunday Age
Sunday December 21, 2008
THE DUCK THAT WON THE LOTTERY AND 99 OTHER BAD ARGUMENTS
Julian BagginiGranta, $29.95Most books of self-improvement focus on the body. This book deals with the mind. Baggini, a British writer who specialises in popularising philosophy, here considers bad arguments. He is the enemy of sloppy reasoning, and of the so-called truisms that are endlessly repeated without examination. If a woman beats cancer with coffee enemas then a causal link is not indicated, she merely got better during the regime. And similarly psychic claims fulfilled are not necessarily evidence of the paranormal, but of "confirmation bias", in which we choose to believe what suits our existing world view. To read this book is to realise how much fuzzy thinking dominates our public debates. When poor reasoning affects war, or the economy, then it is truly dangerous. To read this book is to become acutely aware of the latest soundbites.
© 2008 The Sunday Age
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