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The Science Of Fear: Why We Fear The Things We Shouldn't--and Put Ourselves In Greater Danger (2008)

by Dan Gardner(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0525950621 (ISBN13: 9780525950622)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Dutton Adult

review 1: Your media and politics skepticism 101.The book covers a wide range of material, which is mostly related to what kind of things we fear as a society and individually, how and why most of these fear are completely unjustified, and how politicians, media and the market create a self-reinforcing environment of fear, which allows them to get votes/views/sales.This book is very unsettling in its own way. Unsettling, because you realize that the media-politics-psychology create such a screwed up environment (especially prominent in US), and it is completely unclear how we, as a society, can get over it. But it is also reassuring. It shows with examples and math that we live in the safest, happiest, and overall best times in the history of humanity.I think this book is a must-rea... mored for anyone who hopes to understand the gears inside politics and media, and those who try not to get overly worried about the constant stream of "threats" (terrorism, carcinogens, GMOs, pedophiles, etc) which media pours over our heads 24/7.
review 2: An excellent insight into how we think. I particularly enjoyed the dissection of 'Gut' and what drives our intuitions. I'll be observing my own snap judgements more carefully from now on. The basic message is that we should stop worrying about statistically highly improbable things, like death by terrorism, give more consideration to likely things, like death by heart disease, and enjoy the amazingly privileged lives we've already got. less

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