Advance Praise

“This appeal to rational judgment and decision making couldn't come at a more opportune time. With relativism blurring the distinctions between valid and invalid arguments and values, pseudoscience and superstition are on the march. Credence is given to faith healing, alien abductions, extrasensory perception, astrology, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, and a host of other unfounded notions. In his engaging work, Professor Kida explains the psychological biases that produce errors in reasoning and provides the reader with the tools to debunk these and other myths. It is essential reading for anybody interested in making valid judgments and sound decisions in everyday life.”

—Icek Ajzen, author of Attitudes, Personality, and Behavior

“The study of human cognition has provided many fascinating findings that help explain fallacies in thinking and memory. Kida has written a very nice, lively, and readable introduction to this material, and has managed to include a useful introduction to the scientific method as well.”

—Arnold D. Well, professor emeritus of psychology,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“Kida does a succinct and entertaining job of presenting…mental shortcuts and their resulting biases in our own thought processes.”

—Robyn M. Dawes, Charles J. Queenan Jr. Professor,
Department of Social and Decision Sciences,
Carnegie Mellon University