Review
"'Damian Thompson's extraordinary book is literally a revelation... Superb and often breathtaking.' J. G. Ballard, Daily Telegraph"
A. C. Grayling, New Humanist
'Excellent... Widely enough read and clearly enough understood, 'Counterknowledge' might save us from the tsunami of misinformation, falsity, error and distortion that infects our culture... Superb.'
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Irish Examiner
'The perfect little riposte to the cultic milieu in which we suddenly, somehow, appear to have found ourselves... Now we can counter the counterknowledge.'
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Observer
'After reading this impressive study the reader will be convinced that we are indeed in desperate times.'
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
We are being swamped by dangerous nonsense. From 9/11 conspiracy theories to Holocaust denial, creationism to alternative medicine, we are all experiencing an epidemic of demonstrably untrue descriptions of the world. For Damian Thompson, these unproven theories and spurious claims are forms of 'counterknowledge', and, helped by the internet, they are creating a global generation of misguided adherents who repeat these untruths and lend them credence. 'The sleep of reason brings forth monsters', warns the title of Francisco Goya's famous etching of 1799. As Damian Thompson demonstrates, unless the defenders of enlightenment values fight back soon, the counterknowledge industry has the potential to create new political, social and economic disasters.
About the Author
Damian Thompson is a leader-writer for the Daily Telegraph. He is also editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald and the author of The End of Time (1996) and Waiting for Antichrist (2005).
