A Field Guide to Lies and Statistics: A Neuroscientist on How to Make Sense of a Complex World

A guide to critical thinking in the 'post-truth' era, from the author of Sunday Times best-seller The Organized Mind

We live in a world of information overload. Facts and figures on absolutely everything are at our fingertips, but are too often biased, distorted, or outright lies. From unemployment figures to voting polls, IQ tests to divorce rates, we're bombarded by seemingly plausible statistics on how people live and what they think. Daniel Levitin teaches us how to effectively ask ourselves: can we really know that? And how do they know that?

In this eye-opening, accessible guide filled with fascinating examples and practical takeaways, acclaimed neuroscientist Daniel Levitin shows us how learning to understand statistics will enable you to make better, smarter judgements on the world around you.

Daniel J. Levitin, PhD is the James McGill Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal and is dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI. He is the author of This Is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, and The Organized Mind. He divides his time between Montreal, Quebec, and the San Francisco Bay area.