The Certainty Illusion

Description

In a world where there is so much conflicting information about how we are supposed to live our lives, what can we really know?

Knowing the truth, what’s real from what’s fake, should be easy. In today’s world, that’s far from the case. In The Certainty Illusion, Timothy Caulfield lifts the curtain on the forces contributing to our information chaos and unpacks why it’s so difficult—sometimes even for experts—to escape the fake.

Whether it’s science, our own desire to be good and do the right thing, or the stories and opinions of others, there’s more to sussing out the truth than simply tracking down what feels like an authoritative source. These major forces—science, goodness, and opinion—Caulfield argues, drive beliefs and behaviour, but the ways that they can be corrupted, or worse, used to nefarious ends by bad actors, are endless.

While it may feel, at times, as though we are circling the drain of truth, especially as new technologies make it even easier to spread dangerous fictions, Caulfield pulls us out of the vortex and keeps us afloat, helping us recognize and combat the forces that threaten to pull us under.TIMOTHY CAULFIELD is a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. He has published nearly 400 academic articles on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and public health policy and has won numerous academic, science communication, and writing awards. He is a Member of the Order of Canada, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Caulfield’s previous books include The Cure for Everything, Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, and Relax: A Guide to Everyday Health Decisions with More Facts and Less Worry. He is also the co-founder of the science engagement initiative #ScienceUpFirst and has hosted and produced documentaries, including the award-winning A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.US

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