Book review: The Unpersuadables

“The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science” by Will Storr

I read a good book recently. I read a good book recently. I read a good book recently.

Yes, I read it three times. I got it from the library read it and renewed it again and again.

In recent years, I’ve been quite interested in how the human mind works and how it is influenced by experience and, especially, the prevailing culture and the subcultures of politics, religion, anti-religionism, and other ideologies. I’ve read a lot of good books on the topic including “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt, “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, and “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking” by Susan Cain.

“The Unpersuadables” puts much of the new thinking about thinking together into one very readable package. In his research for the book, Will Storr embedded himself with some extreme (neo-Nazis),  fringe (UFO believers), and fundamentalist (creationists) groups to try to understand how they think – are they lying or are they just plain stupid? Neither, it turns out. They’re often very intelligent folks. Why their beliefs differ is explained by the same processes that cause you and me to think the way we do.

Storr weaves into his narrative what he learned from his interviews with the experts in cognitive science. It turns out that “confirmation bias” – the tendency to favor information that supports our beliefs and to reject what doesn’t – is a universal human trait. (That’s why it’s so hard for you to reason with me. In fact, “reason” is a rare function of the human “rational” brain. Even the Skeptics Society, a self-proclaimed bastion of the scientific method, Storr shows, is not immune to irrationality.)

He also finds fault with the medical profession for their closed-mindedness in diagnosing uncommon symptoms and treating unusual ailments, and with the psychiatric and psychological communities as they consult checklists to categorize behaviors as abnormal. In some instances, they apparently even create the disorders!

Sometimes the book reads like a detective thriller, sometimes it’s more expository; but it’s always engaging. It was fascinating (and often frightening) to discover what humans will do under the influence of perceived authorities, because of peer pressure, or when they (we) are playing roles. And it seems that we are often able to recall past events in great detail – events that never happened – to help explain ourselves to others and to ourselves.

The author doesn’t spare himself in his critical analysis of human behavior; I found his candor both disquieting and refreshing. If you approach this book with an open mind, it is likely to alter both your world view and your self-image. It will also help you to understand all those goofballs who don’t agree with you.