# Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think - Hardcover

by **Andy Norman** (Author)

**Why 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?**

Astonishingly 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 _Nazis_ march openly in the streets, and _Flat Earth_ theory is back. _What the heck is going on?_ Why is all this happening, and why now? More important, what can we do about it?

In _Mental Immunity_, 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 _cultural_ 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 _really do_ have immune systems, and they _really can_ 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.

Hailed as "a feast for thought," _Mental Immunity_ 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.

**Number of Pages:** 416

**Dimensions:** 1.5 x 9.1 x 6 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** May 18, 2021

## Details

- **Price:** 29.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 29.99 USD | In stock |

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- Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think - Hardcover

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