Bibliograph

The misinformation age, how false beliefs spread, Cailin O'Connor, James Owen Weatherall

Type

Label

The misinformation age, how false beliefs spread, Cailin O'Connor, James Owen Weatherall

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-250) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The misinformation age

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

85638581029889265

Responsibility statement

Cailin O'Connor, James Owen Weatherall

Sub title

how false beliefs spread

Summary

Why should we care about having true beliefs? And why do demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite consequences for the people who hold them? Philosophers of science Cailin O'Connor and James Weatherall argue that social factors, rather than individual psychology, are what's essential to understanding the spread and persistence of false belief. It might seem that there's an obvious reason that true beliefs matter: false beliefs will hurt you. But if that's right, then why is it (apparently) irrelevant to many people whether they believe true things or not? In an age riven by "fake news," "alternative facts," and disputes over the validity of everything from climate change to the size of inauguration crowds, the authors argue that social factors, not individual psychology, are what's essential to understanding the persistence of false belief and that we must know how those social forces work in order to fight misinformation effectively

Table Of Contents

Introduction: The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary -- What Is truth? -- Polarization and conformity -- The evangelization of peoples -- The social network

Classification