So, yesterday was the official kick-off of the Keep Portland Weird festival here in Paris, which meant that I had a reading/screening in the...
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We all lead busy lives so it is tempting to leave the big issues to the major players - the government, the experts, big business. But if there is a lesson to be learned from the current mess our economy is in, it is that when we leave it to the big guys, we may not like what we get! That's why I find this to be such a timely book. Whether you are of the camp that global climate change is a disaster that will suck us all into a black hole of doom, whether you believe that it is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public and that `warmers' are the equivalent of domestic terrorists, or whether you are too busy to have given it much thought one way or the other, it is important to have a well-considered opinion on what may be the most important issue of our times.
While Craven does have an opinion (he fesses up early on), this book is not about what he believes, nor is it an attempt to persuade you to his opinion. This book is about using critical thinking skills to reach a rational, informed opinion of your very own. For me, the opening chapters on tools for thinking are his best. I don't know if these skills are being taught in our schools, but they should be. These are skills that can be put to work, not just in the global climate change debate, but in our daily lives -- and could save us a lot of grief.
For example, we are all subject to confirmation bias (just one of the hazards of being human). But if we allow our bias to blind us to all evidence contrary to our opinion, we do ourselves a great disservice. Greg puts it this way, "Confirmation bias is worse than a thief who just takes your money. It's a con man who tricks you into happily volunteering your money because you think you're getting a great deal - and you thank him for it! What a shyster!"
As far as I can tell, this book is unique in the genre -- Craven comes at the issue from an entirely new perspective. And it's easy-to-read - he is not your academic with pages of footnotes and copious citations. Craven has a whacky sense of humor (if you've seen his YouTube videos, you know what I mean!) and a `guy next door' approach. Well worth it!
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What's the Worst That Could Happen?: A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate by Greg Craven
L.Siska, August 26, 2009
We all lead busy lives so it is tempting to leave the big issues to the major players - the government, the experts, big business. But if there is a lesson to be learned from the current mess our economy is in, it is that when we leave it to the big guys, we may not like what we get! That's why I find this to be such a timely book. Whether you are of the camp that global climate change is a disaster that will suck us all into a black hole of doom, whether you believe that it is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public and that `warmers' are the equivalent of domestic terrorists, or whether you are too busy to have given it much thought one way or the other, it is important to have a well-considered opinion on what may be the most important issue of our times.While Craven does have an opinion (he fesses up early on), this book is not about what he believes, nor is it an attempt to persuade you to his opinion. This book is about using critical thinking skills to reach a rational, informed opinion of your very own. For me, the opening chapters on tools for thinking are his best. I don't know if these skills are being taught in our schools, but they should be. These are skills that can be put to work, not just in the global climate change debate, but in our daily lives -- and could save us a lot of grief.
For example, we are all subject to confirmation bias (just one of the hazards of being human). But if we allow our bias to blind us to all evidence contrary to our opinion, we do ourselves a great disservice. Greg puts it this way, "Confirmation bias is worse than a thief who just takes your money. It's a con man who tricks you into happily volunteering your money because you think you're getting a great deal - and you thank him for it! What a shyster!"
As far as I can tell, this book is unique in the genre -- Craven comes at the issue from an entirely new perspective. And it's easy-to-read - he is not your academic with pages of footnotes and copious citations. Craven has a whacky sense of humor (if you've seen his YouTube videos, you know what I mean!) and a `guy next door' approach. Well worth it!
(11 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)