What Do We Know and How Do We Know It: Making Informed Decisions in a World of Vested Interests

This book tackles the two most important questions that we can ask when making decisions that REALLY matter: what do we know and how do we know it. We're often not very good at answering these questions because we tend to choose the input for our decisions - and the reasoning processes we apply to that input - to produce results that we WISH to be true. If your decision-making isn't living up to your expectations or you just want to enhance your decision skills, this book will help you explore these two title questions through more specific perspectives. What forces are at work when we think or reason about an issue? How are our beliefs and actions often manipulated by others? How can we evaluate different sources of information? It also examines two lines of reasoning that have become particularly relevant today. Why is science so controversial? And how do numerical concepts help and harm reasoning?Readers who apply the insights within these pages will be able to better assess and select information sources and content for their decisions, as well as reduce unconscious and ingrained decision-making prejudices. The result will be decisions that stand the test of time and the scrutiny of others.