Stephen Law

A very lively introduction to the mistakes we make in our beliefs and thoughts. The author identifies eight intellectual "black holes" that a person can fall into when they have a cherished belief they are trying to defend, and demonstrates how to avoid getting sucked into those black holes. A couple of weak spots were in his definition of science (he seems to be one of those who defines science as what scientists do, requiring all sorts of special skills and equipment) and in his concept of show more evidence, which seemed very strange indeed, since he ruled out as evidence things that were, in fact, very much evidence. Other than that, a very strong defense of critical thinking. This should be read widely by the very people who are the least likely to read it. show less

For a philosophy book this is quite an easy read but probably best used as one to dip into now and again. Fifty philosophers are covered in 365 pages so don't expect depth or range. Instead one key idea from each philosopher is described followed by criticism of that idea from others. Each philosopher is given a rudimentary biography. By the end you get a feel for the development of (Western) philosophy. Clearly written.

Well composed, excellent coverage of critical knowledge, this will go on the "to re-read" shelf. I'm also adding to to the Must read homeschool list. Law does a very good job illustrating the traps and describing how to avoid, dismantle and negate them. The composition is dense, and I set it aside several times in order to digest the text (do note that nothing here is new, but it is presented in a rich narrative that can be off-putting for those who don't play in the debate sandbox every show more day). Law does put his perspective on the subject and does a nice job collecting the entire theme in a bonus narrative in the form of C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. I wonder if fans of Lewis will see the irony...

Religion is the target of pretty much each of the trap examples, but Law is careful not to actually say something is BS (for example, he offers that while "psychic" anything is probably BS, someday, someone might actually be able to prove the "ability"). Still, the recipients of the analyses will likely take offense. show less

I quite liked how the author focused on one contribution from each philosopher included in the book, and took the time to explain that one contribution and offer arguments against it instead of merely listing a bunch of philosophical ideas without giving explanation. I also liked the way he compared the various philosophers where comparisons were relevant, bringing up names and references again and again throughout, so that information had more of a chance of being understood, compared, and show more retained. The text offers a decent(and easily understandable) look at philosophy, and is an adequate introduction to the subject, in my opinion show less