Author: Bruce Robertson
Publisher: John Catt Educational
ISBN: 9781912906642
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Schools are filled with great teachers, but is great teaching taking place in every classroom, in every school? Bruce Robertson doesn't believe it is. Why not? This book argues that there are two reasons. Firstly, because there isn't a shared understanding of what makes great teaching. Secondly, because schools haven't developed the strong professional learning culture necessary to drive the development of great teaching in every classroom. Through discussion of key messages from educational research, and drawing on a track-record of success, this book explores how these barriers can be addressed, leading to transformations in teaching practice across classrooms and schools.
The Teaching Delusion
Author: Bruce Robertson
Publisher: John Catt Educational
ISBN: 9781912906642
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Schools are filled with great teachers, but is great teaching taking place in every classroom, in every school? Bruce Robertson doesn't believe it is. Why not? This book argues that there are two reasons. Firstly, because there isn't a shared understanding of what makes great teaching. Secondly, because schools haven't developed the strong professional learning culture necessary to drive the development of great teaching in every classroom. Through discussion of key messages from educational research, and drawing on a track-record of success, this book explores how these barriers can be addressed, leading to transformations in teaching practice across classrooms and schools.
Publisher: John Catt Educational
ISBN: 9781912906642
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Schools are filled with great teachers, but is great teaching taking place in every classroom, in every school? Bruce Robertson doesn't believe it is. Why not? This book argues that there are two reasons. Firstly, because there isn't a shared understanding of what makes great teaching. Secondly, because schools haven't developed the strong professional learning culture necessary to drive the development of great teaching in every classroom. Through discussion of key messages from educational research, and drawing on a track-record of success, this book explores how these barriers can be addressed, leading to transformations in teaching practice across classrooms and schools.
The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy
Author: Bruce Robertson
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1914351533
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 183
Book Description
The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy has been written to address the issue of teachers receiving poor feedback in our schools. As a self-improvement and coaching resource, it is essential reading for all teachers and school leaders.|Hands up if you’ve ever been given lesson observation feedback that you didn’t understand, didn’t agree with, or just thought was plain rubbish. If your hand is in the air, you’re in good company! When it comes to teachers receiving high-quality feedback that helps them improve their teaching, we have a serious issue in our schools. Teachers want to improve their teaching. They embrace any opportunity to learn. They want other professionals to watch them teach and to get into conversations about developing their practice. What they don’t want is to be criticised, patronised, sent down blind alleys, or left utterly confused. Those who’ve been giving feedback telling teachers to ‘differentiate more’, ‘talk less’, or ‘let students lead their own learning’ have a lot to answer for. The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy has been written to address the issue of teachers receiving poor feedback in our schools. As a self-improvement and coaching resource, it is essential reading for all teachers and school leaders. Through a detailed exploration of 12 key elements of pedagogy, author Bruce Robertson sets out a clear, researched-informed guide to improving pedagogy in every classroom, across every school. By highlighting key features of effective practice and a broad range of techniques teachers can focus on developing, this practical guidebook will be valued by professionals in all sectors, regardless of experience. The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy completes The Teaching Delusion trilogy with a bang!
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1914351533
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 183
Book Description
The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy has been written to address the issue of teachers receiving poor feedback in our schools. As a self-improvement and coaching resource, it is essential reading for all teachers and school leaders.|Hands up if you’ve ever been given lesson observation feedback that you didn’t understand, didn’t agree with, or just thought was plain rubbish. If your hand is in the air, you’re in good company! When it comes to teachers receiving high-quality feedback that helps them improve their teaching, we have a serious issue in our schools. Teachers want to improve their teaching. They embrace any opportunity to learn. They want other professionals to watch them teach and to get into conversations about developing their practice. What they don’t want is to be criticised, patronised, sent down blind alleys, or left utterly confused. Those who’ve been giving feedback telling teachers to ‘differentiate more’, ‘talk less’, or ‘let students lead their own learning’ have a lot to answer for. The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy has been written to address the issue of teachers receiving poor feedback in our schools. As a self-improvement and coaching resource, it is essential reading for all teachers and school leaders. Through a detailed exploration of 12 key elements of pedagogy, author Bruce Robertson sets out a clear, researched-informed guide to improving pedagogy in every classroom, across every school. By highlighting key features of effective practice and a broad range of techniques teachers can focus on developing, this practical guidebook will be valued by professionals in all sectors, regardless of experience. The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy completes The Teaching Delusion trilogy with a bang!
The Teaching Delusion 2
Author: Bruce Robertson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913622695
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
Whisper it quietly: a lot of time is being wasted in a lot of schools. Actually, why are we whispering? What we should really be doing is calling this out - loudly! The job of schools is too important for us to keeping quiet. Schools are in the 'transforming lives' business. There is no time to waste! In The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn't Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better), Bruce Robertson explored 'delusions' that are holding our schools back. In this sequel, The Teaching Delusion 2: Teaching Strikes Back, he digs deeper into three areas: curriculum, pedagogy and leadership. In doing so, he tackles the issue of time-wasting head-on. By calling out specific delusions in each area, Robertson suggests strategies for dismantling these and offers a clear roadmap forward. Backed by a depth of research and a breadth of experience, The Teaching Delusion 2: Teaching Strikes Backwill give teachers and school leaders the supportive shake-up they need, helping them to abandon practices that aren't making the difference they should be, and to focus on the things that will reallymake the biggest difference to students in our schools.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913622695
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
Whisper it quietly: a lot of time is being wasted in a lot of schools. Actually, why are we whispering? What we should really be doing is calling this out - loudly! The job of schools is too important for us to keeping quiet. Schools are in the 'transforming lives' business. There is no time to waste! In The Teaching Delusion: Why Teaching In Our Schools Isn't Good Enough (And How We Can Make It Better), Bruce Robertson explored 'delusions' that are holding our schools back. In this sequel, The Teaching Delusion 2: Teaching Strikes Back, he digs deeper into three areas: curriculum, pedagogy and leadership. In doing so, he tackles the issue of time-wasting head-on. By calling out specific delusions in each area, Robertson suggests strategies for dismantling these and offers a clear roadmap forward. Backed by a depth of research and a breadth of experience, The Teaching Delusion 2: Teaching Strikes Backwill give teachers and school leaders the supportive shake-up they need, helping them to abandon practices that aren't making the difference they should be, and to focus on the things that will reallymake the biggest difference to students in our schools.
The Inclusion Delusion?
Author: Aislinn O'Donnell
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN: 9783034317856
Category : Democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This book argues that in order to develop just and inclusive institutions, particularly within the education system, we must begin from the standpoint of those who feel silenced, marginalised and excluded. It makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about how institutions need to change if they are to become genuinely inclusive.
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN: 9783034317856
Category : Democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This book argues that in order to develop just and inclusive institutions, particularly within the education system, we must begin from the standpoint of those who feel silenced, marginalised and excluded. It makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about how institutions need to change if they are to become genuinely inclusive.
The Diversity Delusion
Author: Heather Mac Donald
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 125020092X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
By the New York Times bestselling author: a provocative account of the attack on the humanities, the rise of intolerance, and the erosion of serious learning America is in crisis, from the university to the workplace. Toxic ideas first spread by higher education have undermined humanistic values, fueled intolerance, and widened divisions in our larger culture. Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton? Oppressive. American history? Tyranny. Professors correcting grammar and spelling, or employers hiring by merit? Racist and sexist. Students emerge into the working world believing that human beings are defined by their skin color, gender, and sexual preference, and that oppression based on these characteristics is the American experience. Speech that challenges these campus orthodoxies is silenced with brute force. The Diversity Delusion argues that the root of this problem is the belief in America’s endemic racism and sexism, a belief that has engendered a metastasizing diversity bureaucracy in society and academia. Diversity commissars denounce meritocratic standards as discriminatory, enforce hiring quotas, and teach students and adults alike to think of themselves as perpetual victims. From #MeToo mania that blurs flirtations with criminal acts, to implicit bias and diversity compliance training that sees racism in every interaction, Heather Mac Donald argues that we are creating a nation of narrowed minds, primed for grievance, and that we are putting our competitive edge at risk. But there is hope in the works of authors, composers, and artists who have long inspired the best in us. Compiling the author’s decades of research and writing on the subject, The Diversity Delusion calls for a return to the classical liberal pursuits of open-minded inquiry and expression, by which everyone can discover a common humanity.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 125020092X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
By the New York Times bestselling author: a provocative account of the attack on the humanities, the rise of intolerance, and the erosion of serious learning America is in crisis, from the university to the workplace. Toxic ideas first spread by higher education have undermined humanistic values, fueled intolerance, and widened divisions in our larger culture. Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton? Oppressive. American history? Tyranny. Professors correcting grammar and spelling, or employers hiring by merit? Racist and sexist. Students emerge into the working world believing that human beings are defined by their skin color, gender, and sexual preference, and that oppression based on these characteristics is the American experience. Speech that challenges these campus orthodoxies is silenced with brute force. The Diversity Delusion argues that the root of this problem is the belief in America’s endemic racism and sexism, a belief that has engendered a metastasizing diversity bureaucracy in society and academia. Diversity commissars denounce meritocratic standards as discriminatory, enforce hiring quotas, and teach students and adults alike to think of themselves as perpetual victims. From #MeToo mania that blurs flirtations with criminal acts, to implicit bias and diversity compliance training that sees racism in every interaction, Heather Mac Donald argues that we are creating a nation of narrowed minds, primed for grievance, and that we are putting our competitive edge at risk. But there is hope in the works of authors, composers, and artists who have long inspired the best in us. Compiling the author’s decades of research and writing on the subject, The Diversity Delusion calls for a return to the classical liberal pursuits of open-minded inquiry and expression, by which everyone can discover a common humanity.
The Math Myth
Author: Andrew Hacker
Publisher: New Press, The
ISBN: 1620970694
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
A New York Times–bestselling author looks at mathematics education in America—when it’s worthwhile, and when it’s not. Why do we inflict a full menu of mathematics—algebra, geometry, trigonometry, even calculus—on all young Americans, regardless of their interests or aptitudes? While Andrew Hacker has been a professor of mathematics himself, and extols the glories of the subject, he also questions some widely held assumptions in this thought-provoking and practical-minded book. Does advanced math really broaden our minds? Is mastery of azimuths and asymptotes needed for success in most jobs? Should the entire Common Core syllabus be required of every student? Hacker worries that our nation’s current frenzied emphasis on STEM is diverting attention from other pursuits and even subverting the spirit of the country. Here, he shows how mandating math for everyone prevents other talents from being developed and acts as an irrational barrier to graduation and careers. He proposes alternatives, including teaching facility with figures, quantitative reasoning, and understanding statistics. Expanding upon the author’s viral New York Times op-ed, The Math Myth is sure to spark a heated and needed national conversation—not just about mathematics but about the kind of people and society we want to be. “Hacker’s accessible arguments offer plenty to think about and should serve as a clarion call to students, parents, and educators who decry the one-size-fits-all approach to schooling.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Publisher: New Press, The
ISBN: 1620970694
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
A New York Times–bestselling author looks at mathematics education in America—when it’s worthwhile, and when it’s not. Why do we inflict a full menu of mathematics—algebra, geometry, trigonometry, even calculus—on all young Americans, regardless of their interests or aptitudes? While Andrew Hacker has been a professor of mathematics himself, and extols the glories of the subject, he also questions some widely held assumptions in this thought-provoking and practical-minded book. Does advanced math really broaden our minds? Is mastery of azimuths and asymptotes needed for success in most jobs? Should the entire Common Core syllabus be required of every student? Hacker worries that our nation’s current frenzied emphasis on STEM is diverting attention from other pursuits and even subverting the spirit of the country. Here, he shows how mandating math for everyone prevents other talents from being developed and acts as an irrational barrier to graduation and careers. He proposes alternatives, including teaching facility with figures, quantitative reasoning, and understanding statistics. Expanding upon the author’s viral New York Times op-ed, The Math Myth is sure to spark a heated and needed national conversation—not just about mathematics but about the kind of people and society we want to be. “Hacker’s accessible arguments offer plenty to think about and should serve as a clarion call to students, parents, and educators who decry the one-size-fits-all approach to schooling.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
My Enlightenment Delusion
Author: Matt Landing
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520898452
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 217
Book Description
Matt Landing recounts the ups and downs as a Transcendental Meditation teacher. After a 1990 kundalini crisis, he thought he was enlightened, but he later painfully became aware that it was a grandiose delusion. Matt reflects on kundalini, mania, epileptic religiosity, psychedelic experience, and the experiences of people who claim enlightenment. Matt provides an entertaining account of his life with a look behind the scenes of the TM organization, advanced training courses, and the TM-Sidhis course. The book also contains a thought-provoking analysis of kundalini, enlightenment, celibacy, gurus, kriyas, speaking in tongues, Pure Awareness, super radiance, and reincarnation. Matt explains why the similarities between grandiose delusions, psychotic mania, and kundalini crises are more than a coincidence. He provides recommendations for those who are in the midst of a kundalini crisis. Matt explains how spiritual aspirants become ungrounded and offers suggestions on how to become grounded. He provides evidence against the existence of enlightenment. He looks at some of the unflattering characteristics of gurus and labels them as "guru maniacs". Beginning in 1972 while reading books in college, Matt acquired a desire to reach enlightenment. He then learned TM, went on numerous TM residence courses, practiced the TM-Sidhis program, ate a predominately raw food diet, fasted, detoxed his body, and used self muscle testing. His spiritual practice took 3 hours per day and included asanas, pranayama, and meditation. Matt delivers a powerful punch against enlightenment, gurus, spiritual movements, and religions. Matt strikes at the concepts of karma, kundalini, shaktipat, faith, support of nature, devotion to a guru, Pure Awareness, and right action. Version 2.00 of My Enlightenment Delusion is a 60,000-word book that was completed in December 2017 and contains the original material in Version 1.00 plus 7 additional chapters. Chapter 13 contains a comparison of epileptic religiosity with kundalini crises and mania. Chapter 21 juxtaposes spiritual experiences, psychedelic experiences, mania, near death experiences, and G-force induced loss of consciousness. Chapter 22 discusses Robert Forman's book Enlightenment Ain't All It's Cracked Up To Be and the unrealistic, rosy picture that enlightenment brings an end to all suffering. Chapter 23 is devoted to looking at the disquieting aspects in the lives of Suzanne Segal, Ramana Maharshi, and Gopi Krishna who are all departed but continue to inspire many spiritual seekers. Chapter 24 thoroughly describes the enlightenment experiences of 22 individuals and then offers a critique of their experience.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520898452
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 217
Book Description
Matt Landing recounts the ups and downs as a Transcendental Meditation teacher. After a 1990 kundalini crisis, he thought he was enlightened, but he later painfully became aware that it was a grandiose delusion. Matt reflects on kundalini, mania, epileptic religiosity, psychedelic experience, and the experiences of people who claim enlightenment. Matt provides an entertaining account of his life with a look behind the scenes of the TM organization, advanced training courses, and the TM-Sidhis course. The book also contains a thought-provoking analysis of kundalini, enlightenment, celibacy, gurus, kriyas, speaking in tongues, Pure Awareness, super radiance, and reincarnation. Matt explains why the similarities between grandiose delusions, psychotic mania, and kundalini crises are more than a coincidence. He provides recommendations for those who are in the midst of a kundalini crisis. Matt explains how spiritual aspirants become ungrounded and offers suggestions on how to become grounded. He provides evidence against the existence of enlightenment. He looks at some of the unflattering characteristics of gurus and labels them as "guru maniacs". Beginning in 1972 while reading books in college, Matt acquired a desire to reach enlightenment. He then learned TM, went on numerous TM residence courses, practiced the TM-Sidhis program, ate a predominately raw food diet, fasted, detoxed his body, and used self muscle testing. His spiritual practice took 3 hours per day and included asanas, pranayama, and meditation. Matt delivers a powerful punch against enlightenment, gurus, spiritual movements, and religions. Matt strikes at the concepts of karma, kundalini, shaktipat, faith, support of nature, devotion to a guru, Pure Awareness, and right action. Version 2.00 of My Enlightenment Delusion is a 60,000-word book that was completed in December 2017 and contains the original material in Version 1.00 plus 7 additional chapters. Chapter 13 contains a comparison of epileptic religiosity with kundalini crises and mania. Chapter 21 juxtaposes spiritual experiences, psychedelic experiences, mania, near death experiences, and G-force induced loss of consciousness. Chapter 22 discusses Robert Forman's book Enlightenment Ain't All It's Cracked Up To Be and the unrealistic, rosy picture that enlightenment brings an end to all suffering. Chapter 23 is devoted to looking at the disquieting aspects in the lives of Suzanne Segal, Ramana Maharshi, and Gopi Krishna who are all departed but continue to inspire many spiritual seekers. Chapter 24 thoroughly describes the enlightenment experiences of 22 individuals and then offers a critique of their experience.
The Delusion of Disbelief
Author: David Aikman
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1496415426
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
The last few years have seen a great assault upon faith in the publishing world, with an influx of books denouncing religious belief. While attacks on faith are not new, what is notable about these books—several of which have hit the bestseller charts—is their contention that belief in God is not only deluded, but dangerous to society. In The Delusion of Disbelief, former Time senior correspondent and bestselling author David Aikman offers an articulate, reasoned response to four writers at the forefront of today's anti-faith movement: Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. Aikman shines a light on the arguments of these “evangelists of atheism,” skillfully exposing their errors and inconsistencies. He explains what appears to motivate atheists and their followers; encourages Christians to look closely at what they believe; arms readers with powerful arguments in response to critics of faith; and exposes the social problems that atheism has caused throughout the world. Aikman also takes on one of the most controversial questions of our time: Can American liberties survive in the absence of widespread belief in God on the part of the nation's people? The answer to that question, says Aikman, is critically important to your future. The Delusion of Disbelief is a thoughtful, intelligent resource for anyone concerned about the increasingly strident and aggressive new attacks on religious belief. It is the book that every person of faith should read—and give away.
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1496415426
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
The last few years have seen a great assault upon faith in the publishing world, with an influx of books denouncing religious belief. While attacks on faith are not new, what is notable about these books—several of which have hit the bestseller charts—is their contention that belief in God is not only deluded, but dangerous to society. In The Delusion of Disbelief, former Time senior correspondent and bestselling author David Aikman offers an articulate, reasoned response to four writers at the forefront of today's anti-faith movement: Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. Aikman shines a light on the arguments of these “evangelists of atheism,” skillfully exposing their errors and inconsistencies. He explains what appears to motivate atheists and their followers; encourages Christians to look closely at what they believe; arms readers with powerful arguments in response to critics of faith; and exposes the social problems that atheism has caused throughout the world. Aikman also takes on one of the most controversial questions of our time: Can American liberties survive in the absence of widespread belief in God on the part of the nation's people? The answer to that question, says Aikman, is critically important to your future. The Delusion of Disbelief is a thoughtful, intelligent resource for anyone concerned about the increasingly strident and aggressive new attacks on religious belief. It is the book that every person of faith should read—and give away.
I'm the Teacher, You're the Student
Author: Patrick Allitt
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812200403
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
What is it really like to be a college professor in an American classroom today? An award-winning teacher with over twenty years of experience answers this question by offering an enlightening and entertaining behind-the-scenes view of a typical semester in his American history course. The unique result—part diary, part sustained reflection—recreates both the unstudied realities and intensely satisfying challenges that teachers encounter in university lecture halls. From the initial selection of reading materials through the assignment of final grades to each student, Patrick Allitt reports with keen insight and humor on the rewards and frustrations of teaching students who often are unable to draw a distinction between the words "novel" and "book." Readers get to know members of the class, many of whom thrive while others struggle with assignments, plead for better grades, and weep over failures. Although Allitt finds much to admire in today's students, he laments their frequent lack of preparedness—students who arrive in his classroom without basic writing skills, unpracticed with reading assignments. With sharp wit, a critical eye, and steady sympathy for both educators and students, I'm the Teacher, You're the Student examines issues both large and small, from the ethics of student-teacher relationships to how best to evaluate class participation and grade writing assignments. It offers invaluable guidance to those concerned with the state of higher education today, to young faculty facing the classroom for the first time, and to parents whose children are heading off to college.
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812200403
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
What is it really like to be a college professor in an American classroom today? An award-winning teacher with over twenty years of experience answers this question by offering an enlightening and entertaining behind-the-scenes view of a typical semester in his American history course. The unique result—part diary, part sustained reflection—recreates both the unstudied realities and intensely satisfying challenges that teachers encounter in university lecture halls. From the initial selection of reading materials through the assignment of final grades to each student, Patrick Allitt reports with keen insight and humor on the rewards and frustrations of teaching students who often are unable to draw a distinction between the words "novel" and "book." Readers get to know members of the class, many of whom thrive while others struggle with assignments, plead for better grades, and weep over failures. Although Allitt finds much to admire in today's students, he laments their frequent lack of preparedness—students who arrive in his classroom without basic writing skills, unpracticed with reading assignments. With sharp wit, a critical eye, and steady sympathy for both educators and students, I'm the Teacher, You're the Student examines issues both large and small, from the ethics of student-teacher relationships to how best to evaluate class participation and grade writing assignments. It offers invaluable guidance to those concerned with the state of higher education today, to young faculty facing the classroom for the first time, and to parents whose children are heading off to college.
The Delusions of Crowds
Author: William J. Bernstein
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 0802157114
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 491
Book Description
This “disturbing yet fascinating” exploration of mass mania through the ages explains the biological and psychological roots of irrationality (Kirkus Reviews). From time immemorial, contagious narratives have spread through susceptible groups—with enormous, often disastrous, consequences. Inspired by Charles Mackay’s nineteenth-century classic Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, neurologist and author William Bernstein examines mass delusion through the lens of current scientific research in The Delusions of Crowds. Bernstein tells the stories of dramatic religious and financial mania in western society over the last five hundred years—from the Anabaptist Madness of the 1530s to the dangerous End-Times beliefs that pervade today’s polarized America; and from the South Sea Bubble to the Enron scandal and dot com bubbles. Through Bernstein’s supple prose, the participants are as colorful as their “desire to improve one’s well-being in this life or the next.” Bernstein’s chronicles reveal the huge cost and alarming implications of mass mania. He observes that if we can absorb the history and biology of this all-too-human phenomenon, we can recognize it more readily in our own time, and avoid its frequently dire impact.
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 0802157114
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 491
Book Description
This “disturbing yet fascinating” exploration of mass mania through the ages explains the biological and psychological roots of irrationality (Kirkus Reviews). From time immemorial, contagious narratives have spread through susceptible groups—with enormous, often disastrous, consequences. Inspired by Charles Mackay’s nineteenth-century classic Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, neurologist and author William Bernstein examines mass delusion through the lens of current scientific research in The Delusions of Crowds. Bernstein tells the stories of dramatic religious and financial mania in western society over the last five hundred years—from the Anabaptist Madness of the 1530s to the dangerous End-Times beliefs that pervade today’s polarized America; and from the South Sea Bubble to the Enron scandal and dot com bubbles. Through Bernstein’s supple prose, the participants are as colorful as their “desire to improve one’s well-being in this life or the next.” Bernstein’s chronicles reveal the huge cost and alarming implications of mass mania. He observes that if we can absorb the history and biology of this all-too-human phenomenon, we can recognize it more readily in our own time, and avoid its frequently dire impact.