The Irrational Ape by David Robert Grimes - ISBN: 9781471178283
Paperback
Why do we believe nonsense? Can critical thinking save us?

The Irrational Ape

Why We Fall for Disinformation, Conspiracy Theory and Propaganda

$23.25

  • Paperback

    400 pages

  • Release Date

    2 December 2020

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Summary

THE IRISH TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER

‘A beautifully reasoned book about our own unreasonableness’ - Robin Ince

In 1983, the reasoning of one unsung Russian narrowly averted nuclear war, proving that critical thinking can save the world. Today, facing unprecedented tides of disinformation, we’re frequently misled, to our detriment. The Irrational Ape explores the reasons why we get things so wrong, illustrated with incredible stories from the comic…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781471178283
ISBN-10:1471178285
Author:David Robert Grimes
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Ltd
Imprint:Simon & Schuster Ltd
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:400
Release Date:2 December 2020
Weight:278g
Dimensions:24mm x 130mm x 198mm
A-Format
B-Format
The Irrational Ape by David Robert Grimes - ISBN: 9781471178283
130 × 198 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘From anti-vaxxers to Dunning-Kruger, from homeopathy and astrology to “false balance” (what I call the BBC Fallacy), from misused statistics to nuclear brinkmanship, our irrationality could be our undoing. A book exposing the irrational ape and teaching us to mend our ways might so easily have become all preachy and teachy. Instead, such is David Robert Grimes’s storytelling skill, his book is an unstoppable page-turner. If our leaders were forced to read this book, the world would be a safer place’ – Richard Dawkins
‘Grimes’s book addresses an all-too-urgent contemporary political question: how do we protect our societies and ourselves from charlatans and fools?…It brings a fresh perspective, and has been painstakingly researched. This spirited cocktail of data leavened with anecdotes is served up in Grimes’s trademark provocative, combative style…a highly creditable debut from a skilled communicator’ – John Gibbons * Irish Times *

About The Author

David Robert Grimes

Dr. David Robert Grimes is a physicist, cancer researcher, and science journalist. Born in Dublin in 1985, he is affiliated with Oxford University and Queen’s University, Belfast. He contributes to both the BBC and RTÉ, discussing science, politics, and media, and has written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, and The Spectator, among others.

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