Good Thinking is a refreshing take on why we need to think about the information presented to us before believing it as truth. Focusing on critical thinking skills, this informational book dives into how fake news and irrational thinking can dominate popular opinion.

This is a very easy to read, insightful application of logic and sense to thorny modern issues and widespread beliefs. Surely any reader will have their beliefs challenged at some point the wide spectrum of topics handled, including:

9/11 Conspiracies
5G Panic
Anti-Vaccine Activism
"Cannabis Quacks"
Climate Change Denial
Satanic Ritual Abuse
Ghosts
Astrology
Donald Trump
The Sandy Hook Atrocity
Soviet Interference
Cancer Cure Fictions

For me, the challenge was the approach on electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) which I found very convincing in TV reporting. Then, Grimes observes:

</blockquote>There is no doubt that sufferers endure real distress but, despite their assertions that EMR is the cause of their woes, there is plenty of evidence that the illness is wholly psychosomatic. Perhaps the strongest evidence lies in provocation studies, where those with hypersensitivity are exposed to varying sources of EMR to provoke a reaction and gauge the response. In trials to date, sufferers have been entirely unable to distinguish between real and sham sources. Their reactions are consistent only with belief, with sham sources, possessing no viable EMR, triggering a reaction. Similarly, sufferers do not report symptoms where they are unaware they are being exposed to a real source of EMR. This result has been replicated in numerous trials, and the inescapable reality is that EHS has nothing to do with EMR, and everything to do with our curious psychology. The WHO report on EHS, while sympathetic, is unequivocally clear: “The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual. EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMR exposure.”</blockquote>

This prompted me to do my own research. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not a valid diagnosis as caused by recognized by electromagnetic field according to any legitimate medical organization, as far as I can tell. There have been studies done on people claiming to be sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. A <a href="https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/ems/SSM-Rapport-2009-36.pdf">study conducted for the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority</a> found that people who claim to be EMF-sensitive have physical symptoms, however the symptoms are not correlated with exposure to EMF radiation and may occur because of the conscious expectation of such symptoms. Even if it were possible to be sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, it would be impossible for symptoms to be triggered by cell phone signals, or nearby power lines. So, this confirmation further impressed me with the sagacity of Grimes' observations.

I really this convincing paragraph toward the end of this book I think is worth the time of anyone to ready:

<blockquote>The great [author:Carl Sagan|10538] worried that “we’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster.” Sagan’s lament is not hyperbole, nor is it inevitable. Improving public understanding of science and critical thought would be of huge benefit both to society and to us as individuals. But misconceptions abound; to many people, science is a mere collection of facts and figures, a compendium of banal trivia forced upon them in their schooldays by the lab-coated high priests of an arcane religion. However, as Benveniste’s story demonstrates, scientists aren’t infallible. They can be fooled by subtle mistakes, seduced by spurious results, or even be corrupt. We’ve seen too that not all studies are created equal: Some are well designed, careful to exclude confounding influences, while others are underpowered or conducted with inappropriate methodology.</blockquote>

Incredibly thought-stimulating book detailing metacognition and how to review our biases and fallacies in our individual ways of thinkings, of others, and more. As logic has transferred out of school curriculums, this is an interesting read and one I recommend to everyone as a method to review ourselves as life goes on.

An excellent overview of the ways in which people deceive themselves. Some of the territory is well worn, but I particularly enjoyed the chapter on false balance. As is usually the case, the people who need this book won't read it.

A well-written book about critical thinking and the biases of thinking. Although quite long and repetitive in some chapters, I was able to stay engaged and found the writing easy to read. The book really delves into critical thinking, biases, and the biases of thinking. There are multiple examples and historical scenarios throughout, which really how highlight emotional responses and bias can fuel misinformation and conspiracies.

Thanks to NetGalley, David Robert Grimes, and The Experiment for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

A surprisingly comprehensive look at nonsense and insensibility in our modern culture, a successor work to Carl Sagan's classic Candle in the Dark.

Good Thinking is a book that shows how the human mind would make irrational decisions even when the logic is clear enough for us to see. One reason for that is the amount of noise that is out there that distracts and sometimes leads us astray. We need to learn to sift through the chaff and get to the core to make good decisions.

The author does a good job of detailing how to think clearly, something which is sorely needed in these times of misinformation that gets amplified and quickly spread. Although I won’t remember all of the specifics of the arguments and fallacies that are presented, the book fosters a mindset of skepticism and unemotional analysis. It is written in a clear and non-technical style, and it comes across as a thorough treatment of the subject.

This book, and others like it, might be accused of “preaching to the choir” because I think its readers are most likely to be those who are already of a scientific, analytical, or philosophical bent. The challenge is to get the book into the hands of those who could most benefit from it.

It is a lengthy book, which was probably necessary to cover all of the material. However, there is a fair amount of repetition. A second or third explanation may help clarify a point, but too much of that adds to the length of the book and detracts from the flow of reading. There is also too much stating what will be addressed later in the book. This really does not tease me or keep my interest piqued, but is superfluous and distracting.

Wonderful, clever look at critical thinking

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. The writing is excellent, in a conversational tone, and with a sense of humor. Even the footnotes are worth reading. This book has everything I like, including politics, history of science, and philosophy of science. Where the book discusses actual science, everything is well explained. The book also brilliantly discusses biases of thinking. It was enlightening to look at my own biases. Overall, this is an outstanding book and is science writing at its best. It’s one of those books where I was disappointed when I reached the end. Thank you to NetGalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

I received a digital galley of “ Good Thinking,” from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. In general, this book serves as a nice overview of how to think critically when confronted with information. At certain times it takes a logical/philosophical approach to evaluate the strength or weakness of an argument, at other times it references cognitive psychology, and still other times uses a scientific approach to evaluate the numerous medical and scientific topics it addresses.

Some of the stories Grimes uses to depict flawed thinking are well-known, so if you have read broadly about decision-making you will be familiar with several of these anecdotes; although, for me, continued exposure keeps me from falling into cognitive traps which can lead to error. A good part of the book tackles scientific topics involving homeopathy, cancer, vaccines and climate science so the ideal reader should be prepared to learn about concepts such as natural frequencies, the concept of sensitivity and specificity and statistical significance. The author does a nice job explaining these concepts for a lay audience.

He also spends some time on ideological thinking that impairs our ability to accept divergent information that challenges our beliefs and tackles conspiracy theories head-on. This also leads him into the concept of “filter bubbles” which is aided by technology where our reading choices encounters online algorithms which further promotes content that supports our viewpoints. If this seems like a lot of topics— it is. One of the ways in which the book could be better is a tighter argued thesis rather than a very broad view that tries to address science, math, logic, philosophy, religion, politics, etc. Also, some of the introductions to the main themes in chapters takes too long— the chapter on Donald Trump’s 2016 election seems more of a political diatribe rather than a tightly argued point about false equivalency— that Clinton’s exaggerations or misstatements were of a lesser degree than Trump’s.

I appreciated Grimes’ vantage point of wanting to address so many topics where shoddy thinking resides but a more critical editor could have cut some of this material while still leaving readers enlightened and entertained on how to evaluate the evidence of data and the strength of arguments that we are confronted with on a daily basis to make informed decisions. 5 stars for the passion and zeal. Two and a half stars for the execution.

A very well done book that could quell your anxiety and help reason out our crazy world. Critical thinking is the analysis and evaluation of an ideas in order to form a judgement. As humans it's the only thing that prevents us from making a critical error of faulty thinking. The internet and our media choices are loaded with lies and half truths. We can choose to believe anything. This emotional response only drags us further into our tribes and disallows us to reach out of our own ideological group. This book employs scientific and analytical thinking to sift through the cacophony of news with which we are faced. Pulling from historical moments in time and lesser known individuals, examples of confusion from the truth to the absurd, are explored in this book. This author helps the reader have a plan to analyze thoughts, dissolve the rhetoric, shine light on sources and review the science, or lack of, in this nebulous time of mass information..

This was a super smart book about heuristics and mental models, explaining how and why people fall prey to false statistics, group think, and even conspiracy theories and fake news. While the author has demonstrable wisdom in many fields, the concepts are accessible and the anecdotes and stories throughout are engaging and illustrative of the larger concepts. Highly recommended.

Perhaps this was my fault but I only read books on Kindle and this book is only available as a PDF download. Thus, I have not read the book and have no real opinion.

This book gave great insights and stories on making good decisions, would recommend for a quick little read.