Books for Critical Thinkers
(plus, your chance to get one)
I had posed the following question on my Twitter:
“What books or people have done the most for you in terms of encouraging critical thinking?”
Critical thought, I think, is the antidote to a lot of what we’re experiencing as a society right now. I’ve received quite a few responses, 220+ in fact, some of which I’ve highlighted below.
If you’re in the U.S. (apologies to my fellow Canadians/foreigners) and there’s a book you haven’t read and would like read, leave a comment below with the name of the book, an Amazon link to it, and what it is about the book intrigues you. I’ll pick a few people to send the book to—at least one to a free subscriber and another to a paid supporter! And, of course, if you have a recommendation of your own, feel free to add it as well.
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Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which is about much more than scientific revolutions. This book explained how we see the world through paradigms that tell us what is important, and what to ignore. It explains our current situation, and I remember after I first read it, I felt like the scales had fallen from eyes.
Some books I've read during the past year that have helped me better understand what the hell is going on, are:
"I never thought of it that way" by Monica Guzman
"The Great Experiment, Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure" by Yascha Mounk
"Cynical Theories" by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
"Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy" by Batya Ungar-Sargon
"Woke Racism" by John McWhorter
"San Fran-Sicko" by Michael Shellenberger
"The Least of Us" by Sam Quinones
"Women Rising" by Meghan Tschanz
"The Madness of Crowds" by Douglas Murray
"Dignity" by Chris Arnade
These are just a few (I'm addicted to reading)
All of these books helped me to understand what happened to the "progressive Left" and why I've been feeling politically homeless for the past five to seven years.
I don't believe a book can teach us critical thinking, but I believe reading diverse opinions helps us develop better critical thinking skills.
Most of these books are more politically centrist or even conservative than I have ever been.