A survival guide to the misinformation age : scientific habits of mind / David J. Helfand.

Author
Helfand, D. J. (David J.), 1950- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
New York : Columbia University Press, [2016]
Description
xii, 325 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Lewis Library - Stacks Q172.5.E77 H45 2016 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    "This book provides an inoculation against the misinformation epidemic by cultivating scientific habits of mind. From dissolving our fear of numbers and demystifying graphs, to elucidating the key concepts of probability and the use of precise language and logic, Helfand supplies an essential set of apps for the pre-frontal cortex while making science both accessible and entertaining."--Publisher marketing.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • Information, misinformation, and our planet's future
    • A walk in the park
    • What is science?
    • A sense of scale
    • Interlude 1. Numbers
    • Discoveries on the back of an envelope
    • Insights in lines and dots
    • Interlude 2. Logic and language
    • Expecting the improbable
    • Lies, damned lies, and statistics
    • Correlation, causation ... confusion and clarity
    • Definitional features of science
    • Applying scientific habits of mind to Earth's future
    • What isn't science
    • The triumph of misinformation, the perils of ignorance
    • The unfinished cathedral
    • Appendix. Practicing scientific habits of mind.
    ISBN
    • 9780231168724 ((hardcover ; : alkaline paper))
    • 0231168721 ((hardcover ; : alkaline paper))
    LCCN
    2015034152
    OCLC
    921926663
    Statement on language in description
    Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
    Other views
    Staff view