{"product_id":"mental-immunity-andy-norman-9780063002999","title":"Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy do people reject science and believe online conspiracy theories? How are people radicalized online and go on to commit acts of violence? Why is our society so politically polarized?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAstonishingly irrational ideas are spreading. Covid denial persists in the face of overwhelming evidence. Anti-vaxxers compromise public health. Conspiracy thinking hijacks minds and incites mob violence. Toxic partisanship is cleaving nations, and climate denial has pushed our planet to the brink. Meanwhile, American \u003cem\u003eNazis\u003c\/em\u003e march openly in the streets, and \u003cem\u003eFlat Earth\u003c\/em\u003e theory is back. \u003cem\u003eWhat the heck is going on?\u003c\/em\u003e Why is all this happening, and why now? More important, what can we do about it? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eMental Immunity\u003c\/em\u003e, Andy Norman shows that these phenomena share a root cause. We live in a time when the so-called \"right to your opinion\" is thought to trump our responsibilities. The resulting ethos effectively compromises mental immune systems, allowing \"mind parasites\" to overrun them. Conspiracy theories, evidence-defying ideologies, garden-variety bad ideas: these are all species of mind parasite, and each of them employs clever strategies to circumvent mental immune systems. In fact, some of them compromise \u003cem\u003ecultural\u003c\/em\u003e immune systems - the things societies do to prevent bad ideas from spreading. Norman shows why all of this is more than mere analogy: minds and cultures \u003cem\u003ereally do\u003c\/em\u003e have immune systems, and they \u003cem\u003ereally can\u003c\/em\u003e break down. Fortunately, they can also be built up: strengthened against ideological corruption. He calls for a rigorous science of mental immune health - what he calls \"cognitive immunology\" - and explains how it could revolutionize our capacity for critical thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHailed as \"a feast for thought,\" \u003cem\u003eMental Immunity\u003c\/em\u003e melds cutting-edge work in science and philosophy into an \"astonishingly enlightening and productive\" solution to the signature problem of our age. A practical guide to spotting and removing bad ideas, a stirring call to transcend our petty tribalisms, and a serious bid to bring humanity to its senses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andy Norman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 006300299X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063002999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harper Wave\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/15\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.31w x 0.94d","brand":"Andy Norman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44080810983679,"sku":"9780063002999","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6f3cd747-f026-43d5-a2fa-b99f3f094c92.jpg?v=1685488961","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/mental-immunity-andy-norman-9780063002999","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}