Big Lies: From Socrates to Social Media
The modern age has provided ever-more-effective ways of spreading lies, but it has also given us the scientific method, which is the most effective tool for finding what is true. In the book's final chapter, Kurlansky reveals ways to deconstruct an allegation. A scientific theory has to be testable, and so does an allegation.
BIG LIES soars across history: alighting on the "noble lies" of Socrates and Plato; Nero blaming Christians for the burning of Rome; the great injustices of the Middle Ages; the big lies of Stalin and Hitler and their terrible consequences; the reckless lies of contemporary demagogues, which are amplified through social media; lies against women and Jews are two examples in the long history of "othering" the vulnerable for personal gain; up to the equal-opportunity spotlight in America.
"Belief is a choice," Kurlansky writes, "and honesty begins in each of us. A lack of caring what is true or false is the undoing of democracy. The alternative to truth is a corrupt state in which the loudest voices and most seductive lies confer power and wealth on grifters and oligarchs. We cannot achieve a healthy planet for all the world's people if we do not keep asking what is true."
Author: Mark Kurlansky, Eric Zelz
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Published: 10/04/2022
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.88lbs
Size: 9.16h x 7.35w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780884489122
Audience: Young Adult
Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/18/2022
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2022
Booklist 09/15/2022 pg. 44
School Library Journal 12/01/2022 pg. 102
We offer worldwide shipping.
All baymarbookgroup.ca orders over $100
(before taxes) are eligible for FREE standard shipping within Canada and
the United States.
Estimated Delivery Times Outside the USA
Area / Country | Standard International Shipping (Not Trackable) |
International Courier Trackable |
Asia | 10-14 days | 4-6 days |
Australia | 18-20 days | 4-6 days |
Canada | 10-14 days | 4-6 days |
Caribbean | 14-18 days | 4-6 days |
Europe | 10-14 days | 4-6 days |
India | 16-20 days | 4-6 days |
Latin America | 10-14 days | 4-6 days |
Middle East | 16-20 days | 4-6 days |