The World's Best Book Summaries
What’s causing the journalism crisis? Why can’t for-profit journalism be trusted? These days, news media is, for the most part, nothing more than big business. And since journalists don’t want to write something that would insult those who pay their bills, they censor what news they share. This means that big media outlets can’t be trusted to share the whole story. Here’s why you should be careful where you get your news.
Where does news come from? Who are the sources that provide the content? In their book Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky and Herman explain that the most common sources for the news are political and economic figures. This means that these elites can control what makes it to the news and what is suppressed. Here’s how the elites shape what the general public sees.
What is the contrast effect? Why do people fall for the contrast effect? The contrast effect is a cognitive heuristic: It helps you make judgments faster while expending less energy. Your brain lessens energy usage whenever possible, and the contrast effect helps it conserve cognitive resources. Learn about the psychology of the contrast effect.
Should Christians practice pacifism? What exactly does pacifism mean? Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, argues that Christians should practice pacifism to follow Christ’s example. Other Christians—and other religions—handle the matter of pacifism in a variety of ways. Keep reading to learn about Christian pacifism and other perspectives.
What is subprime lending? How do subprime loans generate profit? Subprime lending is the practice of lending money to risky borrowers. The people who borrow on subprime rates tend to earn low incomes or have impaired credit history. As such, they are willing to pay higher interest rates on the borrowed money. Keep reading to learn about the rise of subprime lending and how it generates profit.
What is ethical marketing? Is there a meaningful difference between fibs and frauds? In All Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin argues that good marketing is good storytelling. He explains that it’s ethical to stretch the subjective truth when you tell a story, but that you cross a line when you stretch the objective truth with claims that can be proven false. Read more to learn the finer points of ethical marketing.
Is there such a thing as ethical wealth? In other words, do you think it’s moral to strive to be wealthy? Some people argue that wanting wealth and taking part in our capitalist system is immoral. According to financial educator Robert Kiyosaki, wealth is just a means to an end, the end being the freedom to do what you want with your time. While the means by which wealth is acquired can be immoral, wanting wealth in itself is not—no one can be blamed for wanting freedom. Here is why it’s good to want wealth, according to Kiyosaki.
What are William Easterly’s views on modern foreign aid efforts? How is the top-down approach to international aid reminiscent of the civilizing mission? According to the author of The White Man’s Burden, William Easterly, foreign aid is doing more damage than good. He compared the common top-down aid model to the civilizing mission of the 19th century—when Europeans and Americans believed they had to fix countries that they saw as backward. Here’s why the top-down foreign aid model is doing more harm than good, according to Easterly.
What is court-packing? What do politicians aim to achieve by increasing the number of justices in the Supreme Court? “Court-packing” is usually used to refer to changes in the size of the Supreme Court. This typically involves increasing the number of seats in the Supreme court with a view of changing its ideological makeup. Keep reading to learn about court-packing, explained with examples.
Why can’t the countries in the West impose democracy and capitalism on developing nations? Is there another way to fix bad governments? In his book The White Man’s Burden, economist William Easterly argues that the West needs to stop trying to fix bad governments. He says that imposing top-down aid is not what’s going to help struggling nations. Here’s why Easterly thinks democracy and capitalism can’t be imposed.