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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I've read a couple of the listed books. I worry that so many of the books known to inspire critical thinking are no longer required reading, and even more so that so many are being removed from schools for irrational reasons like the use or the word nigger.
Too many books like To Kill A Mocking Bird are considered racist when they specifically make the case against racism.
I'll put in a couple of suggestions (even though I live in Canada)
"Bad Pharma - How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients by Ben Goldacre (2012)
"So Little For the Mind -an Indictment of Canadian Education ((published in 1953!!!)
And (bonus), anything by Roger Scruton.