Good Thinking

August 3, 2015
Journalist Harrison (Think) instructs readers that honing critical thinking skills and embracing healthy skepticism will help them avoid the many pitfalls of ignorance in contemporary life. His targets include the bustling $34 billion–per-year alternative medicine business, “new age gurus” and their self-help books, and lying politicians. He outlines “the Dirty Dozen,” 12 common mistakes in reasoning, including straw-person arguments, wishful thinking, and ad hominem attacks. In a lesson on neuroscience, Harrison explains what’s currently known about the brain’s evolutionary journey and its anatomy, from the vitals-regulating brain stem to the fight-or-flight impulses of the amygdala. He follows this section with advice for brain maintenance, such as a balanced diet, exercise, and adequate rest. A number of experts are also quoted, including medical professionals, anthropologists, paranormal investigators, and astronomers, to help dispel conspiracy theories, explain the brain’s capacities and limitations, and argue in favor of “good thinking.” Harrison proves himself an excellent guide to reasonable thought in the “swirling, festering ball of deception and madness” that is the modern world.

September 15, 2015

Journalist Harrison (Think) promotes the importance of critical thinking, particularly with regard to the supernatural, conspiracy theories, and alternative medicine. He discusses the roles that various parts of the brain play in thinking and explains why inherent, unconscious mental shortcuts can lead people astray. Though the book raises awareness of the biases and flaws of the brain that are innate to all, it contains few practical suggestions to improve the readers' critical thinking. Harrison convincingly argues that it matters a great deal if people believe "crackpot" ideas. However, his tone is sometimes uneven, as when he shifts from calling out the reader to be a better thinker to confiding in the reader about other "weak skeptics." VERDICT This is a well-researched and informative book on the intrinsic biases and problems that occur in every human brain. While the material covered can be found in the author's previous book, this is a worthwhile introduction to the parts of the brain, as well as the organ's natural weaknesses.--Laurie Neuerburg, Victoria Coll.-Univ. of Houston Lib.

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