recommended reading

"How mumbo jumbo conquered the world" - Francis Wheen. I've not yet finished this book but have to recommend it heartily to all armchair philosophers... It charts and debunks the postwar rise of a general tide of bullshit across the globe - management gurus, the remergence of theocracy, astrology in politics, conspiracy theory (I personally reckon there's a secret CIA department that generates all these conspiracy theories ) , alien abductions, faith over rationalism etc etc. Apparently 2% of polled Americans called to have been abducted by aliens - as the author points out, 3.5 million people popping in and out of the sky is an air traffic control nightmare... Requires brain to be engaged to read, but well worth it.

 

This was my holiday reading this year along with The Code Book by Simon Singh

Wholeheartedly second that recommendation

 

Or, in hifi terms, subjectivism over objectivism :duck:

Michael.

 

Controversial Michael

 

Don't start Michael

Midlifecrisis: Sounds interesting, what's the publisher's name ?

Cheers

 

Sorry :shame: couldn't resist. Does sound like an interesting read.

Sir G, here's the Amazon.co.uk link.

Edit: according to one of the Amazon reviewers the Wheen book is essentiall an update to Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" from which he quotes (unattributed):

You should always keep an open mind
But not so open that your brains fall out

...which I think is just brilliant!

Michael.

 

Thanks Michael

 

sorry, just got home. what Michaelab said. Harper Perennial.

I love the handy index:

New Labour
gimmickry and gobbledegook 57-8
ideological somersaults 218-9
love for Enron 279
etc etc