Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History - Rilegato

Aaronovitch, David

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0224074709 ISBN 13: 9780224074704

Casa editrice: Jonathan Cape, 2009

Riassunto

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere - from Pearl Harbour to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. Bookshop shelves threaten to collapse under the weight of texts devoted to proving myriad conspiracy theories true, while even quality newspapers and serious TV channels are prepared to give them credence.

For David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern. These theories used similar dodgy methods with which to insinuate their claims: they linked themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past (it happened then so it can happen now); they carefully manipulated their evidence to hide its holes; they relied on the authority of dubious academic sources. Most importantly, they elevated their believers to membership of an elite - a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. But why believe something that entails stretching the bounds of probability so far? Surely it is more likely that men did actually land on the moon in 1969 than that thousands of people were enlisted to fabricate a deception that they did.

In this entertaining and enlightening book - aimed to provide ammunition for those who have found themselves at the wrong end of a conversation about moon landings or twin towers - Aaronovitch carefully probes and explodes a dozen of the major conspiracy theories. In doing so, he looks at why people believe them, and makes an argument for a true scepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

"Should we laugh or weep at human folly? Both, if we read David Aaronovitch's debunking masterpiece. The nonsense he exposes is profoundly sinister but also comically absurd." (Francis Wheen)

""This book is really frightening - it shows how both Left and Right are more susceptible than ever to idiot conspiracy theories that a five year old should be able to see through. Aaronovitch does not spare his victims, and nor should he. As he shows, the poisoning of our imaginations by paranoia is a twenty-first-century tragedy."" (Damian Thompson, author of Counterknowledge)

"As one of Britain's finest political journalists, David Aaronovitch's great
gift is to think against received opinion. His scintillating VOODOO HISTORIES bears witness to Aaronovitch's credo that faith is nice but doubt gets you an education. Meticulous in its research, forensic in its reasoning, robust in its argument, and often hilarious in its debunking, VOODOO HISTORIES is a highly entertaining rumble with the century's major conspiracy theorists and
their theories."Voodoo Histories" also stands as a bravura psychological case study
of mankind's compulsive need for narrative to alleviate the anxiety of
not-knowing. Fascinating" (John Lahr)

"Terrifying, hilarious, irreverent and addictively compelling, VOODOO HISTORIES is an instant classic that should be read by everyone - a brilliant, witty and devastating analysis of, and guide to, the big lies of modern history by our most brilliant commentator." (Simon Sebag-Montefiore)

"A brilliant, sparkling and witty demolition of numerous conspiracy theories - not only dotty but sometimes, as in the case of the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion, highly dangerous - and analysis of why otherwise intelligent people are so ready to believe in them." (Ian Kershaw)

L'autore:

David Aaronovitch is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in radio, television and newspapers in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s. He lives in Hampstead, north London, with his wife, three daughters and Kerry Blue the terrier. His first book, Paddling to Jerusalem, won the Madoc prize for travel literature in 2001 and his second, Voodoo Histories, was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Jonathan Cape
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0224074709
• ISBN 13: 9780224074704
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 368