I just joined Goodreads! Here’s my first review. I’m only going to review books I liked – I rarely finish books I don’t like and it isn’t fair to review a book you don’t finish.
How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered The World by Francis Wheen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Did we just imagine the Enlightenment? Because according to Francis Wheen, its enduring power to persuade might be on the wane. This is a riveting account about the ‘rise’ of emotion-led thinking versus rationality, as evidenced by phenomena such as the fascination with alternative medicine, happy-clappy business gurus, the enthusiasm with collective grief at the death of Princess Diana. The darker side to this is the rise of religious fundamentalism. Written in 2004 whilst the world was still reeling with shock from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this book stands the test of time. In fact it seems rather prescient. The swivel-eyed thinking of the financial markets are touched upon, but even Francis Wheen didn’t anticipate how far and how disastrously ‘mumbo jumbo’ thinking would go on to affect the world. Read it and weep…
One reply on “How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered The World by Francis Wheen – my first Goodreads review”
Nice post.