SCIENCES

Good Thinking: What You Need To Know To Be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser

by Guy P. Harrison
Prometheus. Oct. 2015. 290p. illus. notes. bibliog. ISBN 9781633880641. pap. $17; ebk. ISBN 9781633880658. SCI
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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.
Reviewed by Laurie Neuerburg, Victoria Coll.-Univ. of Houston Lib. , Sep 15, 2015
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