[ Undercover Philosopher: A Guide to Detecting Shams, Lies, and Delusions [ UNDERCOVER PHILOSOPHER: A GUIDE TO DETECTING SHAMS, LIES, AND DELUSIONS ] By Philips, Michael ( Author )Apr-01-2008 Paperback

by Michael Philips

A captivating guide to the mistakes, lies, and delusions that rule the world and how to avoid them.What caused the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986? Why were thousands of parents wrongly accused of child sex abuse in the 1990s? Why do law courts throughout the world rely on a process that is next to useless? And why do people entrust millions of dollars each year to hedge-funds that economists agree use flawed financial models?The answer is failure. Not just any failure; but failure of knowledge. In this gripping and controversial book, Michael Phillips outlines all the reasons we don’t know what we think we do, and the devastating consequences this can have. From false memories to fraudulent experts, Phillips treads in the footsteps of Descartes to reveal why we must be more careful in what we believe and how we think. Spanning psychology, philosophy, science, and sociology, this unique exploration of why we get things wrong, and how to guard against it, is an essential read for anyone seeking to make sense of the chaotic world in which we live.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 27, 2008

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It highlights a lot of problems with common thinking and it does it all pre-Trump and pre-COVID (published ~2009), there doesn’t appear to be any partisanship in the book which is always nice.

Highlights the need to be weary of pretty much everything but some circumstantial belief is justifiable. If we spent our days analyzing all our beliefs using the Socratic method we’d probably “have to change our forwarding address to the library.”

The beliefs we SHOULD question are the ones that effect the lives and welfare of others. This I whole heartedly agree with. If you come from a demographic that denies climate change and sees what is going on in other parts of the world (draughts, floods, hurricanes etc.) it should be your top priority to check this belief and make sure it isn’t being misguided.

Not to get political but I think it is important to be critical of strong beliefs…

Anyways thought it was a great book and looking to add it to my own bookshelf (read it as a library book).

[Mehmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent content (but, I've learned, not good for first-time students)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking. A bit heavy in parts, but other parts easy and fascinating and definitely worth it.

[Pier Paolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philips ci guida in un percorso dove ci mostra che le nostre convinzioni e decisioni, anche quando sembrano basate sull'evidenza, sono a volte fasulle. Possiamo ritenere di aver visto cose che non sono successe, sbagliare di grosso sulla valutazione delle probabilità, o ritenere per validi degli assunti che in realtà sono sostenuti da gruppi che hanno degli interessi, o che semplicemente fanno fatica a cambiare opinione.
A volte il libro è un po' difficile da seguire, perché prende la via di un trattato di logica. Comunque vale la pena andare fino in fondo, per raggiungere la conclusione: rendersi conto che in molti casi si "crede" perché si è deciso di farlo.

[Tattered Cover Book Store]

Kelly says:
"Thinking you might be a victim of a scam, even a well coordinated, expensive one? Let empiricism and logic disperse the fog of lies."