Giving the Devil His Due
Reflections of a Scientific Humanist
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Giving the Devil His Due
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Narrated by:
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Michael Shermer
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By:
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Michael Shermer
About this listen
Who is the "Devil"? And what is he due? The devil is anyone who disagrees with you. And what he is due is the right to speak his mind. He must have this for your own safety's sake, because his freedom is inextricably tied to your own. If he can be censored, why shouldn't you be censored? If we put barriers up to silence "unpleasant" ideas, what's to stop the silencing of any discussion? This book is a full-throated defense of free speech and open inquiry in politics, science, and culture by the New York Times best-selling author and skeptic Michael Shermer. The new collection of essays and articles takes the devil by the horns by tackling five key themes: free thought and free speech, politics and society, scientific humanism, religion, and the ideas of controversial intellectuals. For our own sake, we must give the devil his due.
©2020 Michael Shermer (P)2020 Michael ShermerCritic Reviews
"Michael Shermer is our most fearless explorer of alternative, crackpot, and dangerous ideas, and at the same time one of our most powerful voices for science, sanity, and humane values. In this engrossing collection, Shermer shows why these missions are consistent: it’s the searchlight of reason that best exposes errors and evil." (Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress)
"As always, Michael Shermer is hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and brilliant. The fascinating essays in this wide-ranging book will make you think - and then rethink." (Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations)
"Michael Shermer is the voice of reason, and this is a book of his best essays - the ones we most need to read to understand the madness of our time and to imagine a more reasonable future. The range of questions Shermer addresses and the breadth of his knowledge make this book a delight to read." (Jonathan Haidt, New York University, author of The Righteous Mind, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind)
What listeners say about Giving the Devil His Due
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-2020
good content
Less focused on the blurbed subject then expected.
Voiced well, edited poorly.
still quite engaging.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mark Penberthy
- 18-04-2020
Disappointing
Seems to highlight the authors high opinions of his own expertise for highlighting how unbiased his biases really are with a predictable outcome. While the first chapter which I agree with most of what was presented, was hardly original, just reflecting the thoughts of original authors. The following chapters simple fell into mainstream media opinions easily found in tabloid newspapers. Looking at some of the articles mentioned and not reviewed in the book, some of the literature I was already familiar with, shows a lack of rigorous analysis. But it is always good to read things you don’t agree with and check your own biases. On the subjects I am not familiar with, I would say It was well presented and I will take his opinions presented as opinions, giving the devil his due, so to speak.
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