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Giving the Devil His Due

Reflections of a Scientific Humanist

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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 Shermer Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Socialism Liberalism Humanism Social justice Capitalism Morality

Critic 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)
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Another excellent book by the polymath Michael Shermer. This collection of essays is a great guide on how to deal with complex ideas which you may not fully agree with.

Excellent collection of essays

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Really enjoyed the content. Truly an excellent book. However counted about 40 errors by the author whilst reading that have not been edited out.

Book is fantastic, Audible editing is terrible

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A good read that helps to build up awareness and understanding of many of the issues facing the United States. Well worth a read.

Thought provoking and relevant.

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Part 3 involves cherry picking to the highest degree regarding economics. Outdated libertarian views on market rationality and government irrationality creates a skewed vision, ignoring far more successful economies than the US. The work tries to capture the audience with fanciful summaries and striking figures, but lacks nuance or depth at every chapter.

A muddle of ideas

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