{"product_id":"mental-immunity-infectious-ideas-mind-parasites-and-the-search-for-a-better-way-to-think-9780063002982","title":"Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy do people reject science and believe online conspiracy theories? How are people radicalized online and go on to commit acts of violence? Why is our society so politically polarized?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAstonishingly irrational ideas are spreading. Covid denial persists in the face of overwhelming evidence. Anti-vaxxers compromise public health. Conspiracy thinking hijacks minds and incites mob violence. Toxic partisanship is cleaving nations, And climate denial has pushed our planet to the brink. Meanwhile, American Nazis march openly in the streets, and Flat Earth theory is back. \u003cem\u003eWhat the heck is going on?\u003c\/em\u003e Why is all this happening, and why now? More important, what can we do about it? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eMental Immunity\u003c\/em\u003e, Andy Norman shows that these phenomena share a root cause. We live in a time when the so-called \"right to your opinion\" is thought to trump our responsibilities. The resulting ethos effectively compromises mental immune systems, allowing \"mind parasites\" to overrun them. Conspiracy theories, evidence-defying ideologies, garden-variety bad ideas: these are all species of mind parasite, and each of them employs clever strategies to circumvent mental immune systems. In fact, some of them compromise \u003cem\u003ecultural\u003c\/em\u003e immune systems - the things societies do to prevent bad ideas from spreading. Norman shows why all of this is more than mere analogy: minds and cultures \u003cem\u003ereally do\u003c\/em\u003e have immune systems, and they \u003cem\u003ereally can\u003c\/em\u003e break down. Fortunately, they can also be built up: strengthened against ideological corruption. He calls for a rigorous science of mental immune health - what he calls \"cognitive immunology\" - and explains how it could revolutionize our capacity for critical thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHailed as \"a feast for thought,\" \u003cem\u003eMental Immunity\u003c\/em\u003e melds cutting-edge work in science and philosophy into an \"astonishingly enlightening and productive\" solution to the signature problem of our age. A practical guide to spotting and removing bad ideas, a stirring call to transcend petty tribalism, and a serious bid to bring humanity to its senses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNorman, Andy:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndy Norman\u003c\/strong\u003e is a cognitive scientist and award-winning author. He studies how ideologies short-circuit minds and corrupt moral understanding. He develops tools that help people dialogue together in fruitful and fair-minded ways. A pioneering cognitive immunologist, Norman's work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eScientific American\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePsychology Today\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eFree Inquiry\u003c\/em\u003e. In this engaging masterwork, he shows how the science of mental immunity is transforming our world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Wave","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50481993023762,"sku":"9780063002982","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_701a6615-e1d2-4454-b39d-b31916e10c32.jpg?v=1747812950","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/mental-immunity-infectious-ideas-mind-parasites-and-the-search-for-a-better-way-to-think-9780063002982","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}