A Short Course in Intellectual Self-Defense

“With charm, with, lucidity, and expert knowledge, this 'short course' carries the reader in easy steps from simple devices intended to "regiment the public mind" (in the words of one of the founders of the public relations industry) to more subtle modes of delusion and deceit of the kind that inundate us constantly. It does not just expose, though that is valuable enough, but also provides strategies for analysis of media and propaganda generally, a guide to resources, and a toolkit for critical inquiry that should be of great value to those who hope to understand a complex world that is made still more obscure when transmitted through the distorting prisms of ideology and doctrine.” –Noam Chomsky “This book provides an amiable and effective guide through some of the pitfalls and mysteries of language, of logic—and of magic! Readers are sure to discover that its lucid analyses and discussions assist them considerably in avoiding or in overcoming the many obstacles that commonly stand in the way of clear thought and expression.” –Harry Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit