About the Book
The bestselling author of The Organized Mind explains and debunks statistics in the information age
We live in a world of information overload. Facts and figures on absolutely everything are at our fingertips, but are too often biased, distorted, or outright lies. From unemployment figures to voting polls, IQ tests to divorce rates, we're bombarded by seemingly plausible statistics on how people live and what they think. In a world where anyone can become an expert at the click of a button, being able to see through the tricks played with statistics is more necessary than ever before. Daniel Levitin teaches us how to effectively ask ourselves- can we really know that? And how do they know that?
In this eye-opening, entertaining and accessible guide filled with fascinating examples and practical takeaways, acclaimed neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shows us how learning to understand statistics will enable you to make quicker, better-informed decisions to simplify your life.
%%%A guide to critical thinking in the 'post-truth' era, from the author of Sunday Times best-seller The Organized Mind
We live in a world of information overload. Facts and figures on absolutely everything are at our fingertips, but are too often biased, distorted, or outright lies. From unemployment figures to voting polls, IQ tests to divorce rates, we're bombarded by seemingly plausible statistics on how people live and what they think. Daniel Levitin teaches us how to effectively ask ourselves- can we really know that? And how do they know that?
In this eye-opening, accessible guide filled with fascinating examples and practical takeaways, acclaimed neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shows us how learning to understand statistics will enable you to make better, smarter judgements on the world around you.
About the Author :
Dr. Daniel J. Levitin has a PhD in Psychology, trained at Stanford University Medical School and the University of California Berkeley. He is the author of the No. 1 bestseller This Is Your Brain On Music (Dutton, 2006), published in nineteen languages, and the bestsellers The World in Six Songs (Dutton, 2008) and The Organized Mind (Viking, 2014). Currently he is Dean of Social Sciences at the Minerva Schools at KGI in San Francisco, and a faculty member at the Center for Executive Education in the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.%%%Dr. Daniel J. Levitin has a PhD in Psychology, training at Stanford University Medical School and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the No. 1 bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music (Dutton, 2006), published in nineteen languages, and the bestsellers The World in Six Songs (Dutton, 2008) and The Organized Mind (Viking, 2014). Currently he is a James McGill Professor of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Music at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Review :
In a post-truth world, Levitin's book is an invaluable primer on how to sort the fact from the fiction
As a lucid guide to critical thinking about statistics, information and assertion it is profoundly welcome
The world is awash with data, but not always with accurate information. A Field Guide to Lies does a terrific job of illustrating the difference between the two with precision-and delightful good humour
Daniel Levitin's field guide is a critical thinking primer for our shrill, data-drenched age. From the way averages befuddle to the logical fallacies that sneak by us, every page is enlightening
A guide for those who wish to test the authenticity of information that inundates us from every corner, dark and light, of the Web
A Field Guide to Lies by the neuroscientist Daniel Levitin lays out the many ways in which each of us can be fooled and misled by numbers and logic, as well as the modes of critical thinking we will need to overcome this
Smart, timely, and massively useful
Much like Nate Silver's (New York Times bestselling!) The Signal and the Noise, Levitin's is that rare book that makes statistics both understandable and at times even intriguing
A valuable primer on critical thinking that convincingly illustrates the prevalence of misinformation in everyday life
The timing could not be better...a survival manual for the post-factual error. Levitin offers a set of intellectual tools to help distinguish the real from the unreal, and often surreal ... both engaging and rewarding
Valuable tools for anyone willing to evaluate claims and get to the truth of the matter
Misinformation is a curse of the information age, and Levitin offers blow-by-blow demonstrations of how words, numbers and graphics can be manipulated to distort truth
Just as Strunk and White taught us how to communicate better, the Field Guide to Lies is an indispensable guide to thinking better.
Regardless of one's political persuasion (apolitical, third party, democratic, or republican) all individuals of this nation would benefit from making the effort to read and understand the concepts presented in this book. Eminently easy to read.
Levitin talks about the crucial role of critical thinking and seeking out the truth in today's media landscape
I could not put this book down. I am so impressed with Levitin's writing style, which is clear and simple, unlike much of the murky stuff that is written by statisticians and many others.
This is a wonderful book. It covers so many of the insights of science, logic, and statistics that the public needs to know, yet are sadly neglected in the education that most of us receive.
Insightful and entertaining-an excellent work
No book could be more timely. An important book for everyone to read. Essential to where western democracies are going
More insights per page than any other neuroscientist I know... smart, important, exquisitely written
Deservedly a bestseller
