Thought under threat : on superstition, spite, and stupidity /

The contemporary world is deeply marked by both a lack of critical thinking and an almost public disdain for it. Rampant conspiracy theories, science denialism, claims of "fake news," and oppositional dismissiveness that underwrites political division is the new normal. As Beistegui claims, on all sides thought is under threat. In this new book, Beistegui looks at what he terms "vices of the mind" that are not new but newly prominent: superstition, spite, and stupidity. Importantly, Beistegui situates his discussion as "pre-epistemic" in that it is not primarily concerned with overcoming error in the name of truth but focused on the internal threats to thought that arise from particular "ways of thinking." Drawing widely on philosophers such as Nietzsche, Foucault, and Deleuze, Beistegui's book is a powerful critique of the current cultural abdication of the responsibilities that attend freedom of thought. He compellingly argues that the very fate of democracy requires everyone to get better at the virtues of thinking and cultivate generosity as a habit of mind. This book is exceptionally well written, accessible, and rigorous. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University