Our economy is unstable, authoritarian politicians reign unchecked, and interest groups replace communities for our primary allegiance—the causes are embedded deeply in how we have been misinformed. Systems out of Balance: How Misinformation Hurts the Middle Class, by Kirk D. Sinclair, PhD, serves as both a guidebook for an informed citizenry and as a polemic calling us to take back control of our social systems.
Kirk Sinclair applies a scientist’s criteria for good and bad data to form a citizen’s guide for information and misinformation. Based on a lifetime of studies, research and instruction related to science and epistemology, Sinclair brings a new approach to “Social Science,” analyzing our social systems—economic, political and cultural—as an ecologist would analyze a natural ecosystem. Through this approach Sinclair reveals how our social systems are out of balance, and how misinforming the public is the ultimate cause.
Systems out of Balance explains why:
• Free markets reward merit, but our economy reinforces greed.
• Democracy serves wisdom, but our politics promote authoritarianism.
• Communities seek harmony, but our culture features idolatry.
• Misinformation steers us towards greed, authoritarianism and idolatry.
• The use of vanity, cynicism and fear benefits a few at the expense of many.
If the invasion of Iraq and the market crisis of 2008 taught us nothing else, we must learn the importance of recognizing when we are being misinformed. Sinclair approaches complex and initially overwhelming concepts with the clear and thoughtful mind of a scientist. He scrutinizes, untangles, and exposes the issues, banishing doublespeak designed to make us complicit and encouraging us to step up and take responsibility for the systems that so dominate our lives. Sinclair provides tools for us to think critically, sifting through the information that bombards us daily and separating fact from misinformation.
With this collection of intelligent, comprehensive essays, Sinclair has broken down the problems many of us did not even know we had. Systems out of Balance will arm you with valuable knowledge and an increased understanding of our social systems, how they affect our lives, and what you can do to resist misinformation and restore balance to both life and country.
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