The World's Best Book Summaries
Is marketing to kids effective? How do fast food companies market to kids? Marketing to kids is a long-standing, if controversial, marketing and advertising tactic. Fast food companies, in particular, rely on marketing to kids as a part of their overall strategy. Read more about marketing to kids and how fast food companies do it.
What is the central tenet of the humanism philosophy? How did the shift from theism to humanism change human societies? Humanism is a philosophy premised on the belief that humanity has the authority to create meaning within the universe. The societal impact of humanism is most seen clearly in the following areas: ethics, politics, aesthetics, economics, and education. Keep reading to learn about the philosophy of humanism and how it has changed human societies.
Are we witnessing the death of liberalism? Why is liberalism becoming irrelevant as technology advances? According to Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli intellectual and the author of Homo Deus, advances in technology might make liberalism a thing of the past. He predicts the death of liberalism to be the result of three potential developments: 1) the loss of military and economic usefulness, 2) the rise of decision-making algorithms, and 3) the creation of the “superhuman.” Read about the projected death of liberalism.
What are the two schools of thought in western culture? How should we decide what is moral and what is morally acceptable? Is there such thing as universal morality? As western civilization developed, questions around morality emerged. Two schools of thought became the most prominent: deontology (Kantian ethics) and utilitarianism. Both, however, are at odds with how human psychology works. Keep reading to learn more about the two schools of thought.
What are the top five techniques used by liars to mislead the public and make statistics look better in their favor? How are these techniques used in practice? There are many techniques that anybody with an agenda can use to manipulate statistics in their favor. In How to Lie With Statistics, Darrell Huff explains how liars can fudge the numbers and he gives examples of misleading statistics so you can learn how to avoid being manipulated. Keep reading for misleading statistics examples and techniques that liars use.
Why do honest people lie? What are the two types of dishonesty? There are two types of dishonesty. The first type is the worst, it is the premeditated and sometimes criminal kind of lying. The second type is innocuous, the type that you’ve most likely done in everyday life like taking a pen from work. Find out why our brains are okay with little lies and where it sets the line. Continue on for more about why we lie.
How do liars manipulate statistics to make them more favorable? How can hard numbers possibly be skewed? Manipulating statistics isn’t as difficult as one may think. Although statistics are hard numbers and lying about them isn’t legal, that doesn’t mean they can’t be skewed or framed in a way to make the presenter look better. Keep reading for the top eight ways that statistics are manipulated.
What are the two mechanisms of placebo effect psychology? Is pricing a medication higher to trigger the placebo effect unethical? How can you think against the placebo effect? The psychology of the placebo effect relies on two mechanisms: faith and conditioning. If you have faith in something, then it’s more likely to work better. However, this raises ethical questions when it comes to marketing medications. Continue on for more about the psychology of the placebo effect.
How can people manipulate graphs to change how you perceive them? What are the six most common forms of image manipulation? It is possible for someone with an agenda to manipulate an image (whether that be a graph, a map, or a photo) to control the message you take away from them. You’d be surprised how often this happens in business and advertising. Keep reading to learn how manipulated graphs can support an agenda.
What is the source of humanist ethics? In the absence of a divine entity to look to, how do humanists determine morally what’s right and what’s wrong? Humanist ethics is not based on the divine principle of any kind. As a non-theistic ideology, humanists derive their moral code from their internal feelings and the best human thinking in the areas of ethics, science, and well-being. Keep reading to learn about the rise of humanist ethics and how it differs from religious morality.