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    The Arts of Truth
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    The Arts of Truth
    Unavailable
    The Arts of Truth
    Ebook325 pages3 hours

    The Arts of Truth

    By Rud Istvan

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    This book is a primer on critical thinking. Without it, the Internet is only a misinformation highway. The dark arts of untruthfulness are ubiquitous in ‘official’ information. The general techniques used to distort or misrepresent truth are conceptually explored, illustrated by dozens of examples covering a wide range of subjects. Does classroom size reduction improve education? Can tight oil shale provide US petroleum independence? Are eggs unhealthy? Does the Chevy Volt really get 60mpg-e? Is global warming a hoax or a crisis? The many thought provoking examples are entertaining as well as enlightening.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherM-Y Books
    Release dateDec 12, 2014
    ISBN9781609112981
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Arts of Truth

    3.5/5

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    • 5/5
      This is a fascinating and thought-provoking expose that is just as relevant today as when it was published. As a scientist myself, I can attest to the truth of what the authors have written both about the idealistic representation of science in academia and the reality of how it is practised. Broad and Wade demonstrate how the actual practice of science frequently departs from the neat process taught in high school and college courses, and how the intended safeguards of peer review and replication frequently fail to catch errors or outright fraud. The examples themselves are engaging and often amazing in their egregiousness, making for a fast and entertaining read.What is fascinating to me is that, having witnessed many of the issues inherent in the way academic success depends on publication, and having seen firsthand how rarely experimental replication of the findings of others is attempted, and how the peer review process can fail, I continued to view science as a whole through rose-colored glasses. This attitude is just what the authors describe, and while it is understandable that scientists cling to this idealized view, this book is a necessary step in facing up to the reality so that the system can be improved. For, as the authors point out, science today is not an altruistic pursuit of truth, but a career fraught with ambition, pressure, and a rigid hierarchy. Scientists working within such a system are, like any human beings, prone to err, and a better system of regulation would help prevent mistakes and deception such as described in this book.