{"title":"Books by Lee McIntyre","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780262538930","title":"The Scientific Attitude","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis “intelligent treatise articulates why the pursuit of scientific truths, even if inevitably flawed . . . matters” in our post-truth world (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhat separates science from other disciplines? An attitude that respects evidence and is willing to evolve as new evidence arises.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn’t settled science, that evolution is “only a theory,” and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians’ rhetorical repertoire. Defenders of science often point to its discoveries (penicillin! relativity!) without explaining exactly why scientific claims are superior. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls “the scientific attitude”—caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science. In this book, McIntyre explores:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistorical cases that illustrate both scientific success and failure\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe transformation of medicine from a practice based on hunches to a science based on evidence\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eScientific fraud and ideology-driven denialists, pseudoscientists, and “skeptics”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow social science should embrace the scientific attitude\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ultimately, McIntyre says, the grounding of science in evidence offers a uniquely powerful tool in the defense of science itself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231000015221,"sku":"9780262538930","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780262538930_b8d97e6f-5fdb-4fbb-904e-19e5e145a0e5.jpg?v=1786012597"},{"product_id":"9780262545051","title":"How to Talk to a Science Denier","description":"\u003cb\u003eCan we change the minds of science deniers? Encounters with flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, coronavirus truthers, and others.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Climate change is a hoax--and so is coronavirus.\" \"Vaccines are bad for you.\" These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. They are not merely uninformed--they are misinformed. They cite cherry-picked evidence, rely on fake experts, and believe conspiracy theories. How can we convince such people otherwise? How can we get them to change their minds and accept the facts when they don't believe in facts? In this book, Lee McIntyre shows that anyone can fight back against science deniers, and argues that it's important to do so. Science denial can kill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Drawing on his own experience--including a visit to a Flat Earth convention--as well as academic research, McIntyre outlines the common themes of science denialism, present in misinformation campaigns ranging from tobacco companies' denial in the 1950s that smoking causes lung cancer to today's anti-vaxxers. He describes attempts to use his persuasive powers as a philosopher to convert Flat Earthers; surprising discussions with coal miners; and conversations with a scientist friend about genetically modified organisms in food. McIntyre offers tools and techniques for communicating the truth and values of science, emphasizing that the most important way to reach science deniers is to talk to them calmly and respectfully--to put ourselves out there, and meet them face to face.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231014236533,"sku":"9780262545051","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780262545051_1f16a56b-d610-446f-b419-8b6532f330cf.jpg?v=1786012679"},{"product_id":"9780262535045","title":"Post-Truth","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow we arrived in a post-truth era, when “alternative facts” replace actual facts, and feelings have more weight than evidence.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eAre we living in a post-truth world, where “alternative facts” replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? How did we get here? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lee McIntyre traces the development of the post-truth phenomenon from science denial through the rise of “fake news,” from our psychological blind spots to the public's retreat into “information silos.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat, exactly, is post-truth? Is it wishful thinking, political spin, mass delusion, bold-faced lying? McIntyre analyzes recent examples—claims about inauguration crowd size, crime statistics, and the popular vote—and finds that post-truth is an assertion of ideological supremacy by which its practitioners try to compel someone to believe something regardless of the evidence. Yet post-truth didn't begin with the 2016 election; the denial of scientific facts about smoking, evolution, vaccines, and climate change offers a road map for more widespread fact denial. Add to this the wired-in cognitive biases that make us feel that our conclusions are based on good reasoning even when they are not, the decline of traditional media and the rise of social media, and the emergence of fake news as a political tool, and we have the ideal conditions for post-truth. McIntyre also argues provocatively that the right wing borrowed from postmodernism—specifically, the idea that there is no such thing as objective truth—in its attacks on science and facts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMcIntyre argues that we can fight post-truth, and that the first step in fighting post-truth is to understand it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231685620085,"sku":"9780262535045","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780262535045_12dfad4e-4874-4b07-84c9-02c569c0199a.jpg?v=1786012559"},{"product_id":"9780262546300","title":"On Disinformation","description":"\u003cb\u003eLearn how to fight against the disinformation campaigns imperiling American democracy in this empowering, pocket-sized guide from the author of \u003ci\u003eHow to Talk to a Science Denier.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eINSIDE THE WAR ON TRUTH: Explore the history of how disinformation has been weaponized to manipulate society.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe effort to destroy facts and make America ungovernable didn’t come out of nowhere. It is the culmination of 70 years of strategic denialism. In \u003ci\u003eOn Disinformation\u003c\/i\u003e, Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of our society. Drawing on his 20 years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities; why the best way to combat disinformation is to disrupt its spread; and most importantly, how we can win the war on truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMcIntyre takes readers through the history of strategic denialism to show how we arrived at this precarious political moment and identifies the creators, amplifiers, and believers of disinformation. Along the way, he also demonstrates how today’s “reality denial” follows the same flawed blueprint of the “five steps of science denial” used by climate deniers and anti-vaxxers; shows how Trump has emulated disinformation tactics created by Russian and Soviet intelligence dating back to the 1920s; provides interviews with leading experts on information warfare, counterterrorism, and political extremism; and spells out the need for algorithmic transparency from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. \u003ci\u003eOn Disinformation \u003c\/i\u003elays out ten everyday practical steps that we can take as ordinary citizens—from resisting polarization to pressuring our Congresspeople to regulate social media—as well as the important steps our government (if we elect the right leaders) must take.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCompact, easy-to-read (and then pass on to a friend), and never more urgent, \u003ci\u003eOn Disinformation\u003c\/i\u003e does nothing less than empower us with the tools and knowledge needed to save our republic from autocracy before it is too late.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56232368275829,"sku":"9780262546300","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780262546300_f072b605-346d-4681-b9dc-007c0dce20e7.jpg?v=1786012709"},{"product_id":"9781138331518","title":"Philosophy of Science","description":"\u003cp\u003eAny serious student attempting to better understand the nature, methods, and justification of science will value Alex Rosenberg and Lee McIntyre's updated and substantially revised fourth edition of \u003ci\u003ePhilosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction\u003c\/i\u003e. Weaving lucid explanations with clear analyses, the volume is a much- used, thematically oriented introduction to the field.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fourth edition has been thoroughly rewritten based on instructor and student feedback, to improve readability and accessibility, without sacrificing depth. It retains, however, all of the logically structured, extensive coverage of earlier editions, which a review in the journal \u003ci\u003eTeaching Philosophy \u003c\/i\u003ecalled \"the industry standard\" and \"essential reading.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eKey Features of the Fourth Edition:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRevised and rewritten for readability based on feedback from student and instructor surveys.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUpdated text on the problem of underdetermination, social science, and the realism\/antirealism debate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImproved continuity between chapters.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRevised and updated Study Questions and annotated Suggested Readings at the end of each chapter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUpdated Bibliography.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a list of relevant online primary sources, please visit: www.routledge.com\/9781138331518.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56297410199925,"sku":"9781138331518","price":51.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781138331518_e4943e54-69ff-456c-921e-c5cd644fac92.jpg?v=1786018534"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-lee-mcintyre.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}