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Willful Blindness
Book

Willful Blindness

Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril

Margaret Heffernan
Walker & Company, 2012

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Professor, blogger and documentary-film producer Margaret Heffernan borrows an analogy from neuroscientist Robert Burton to explain “willful blindness”: Like water moving in a riverbed, the flow of ideas, experiences and information over time carves out a belief system in your neural pathways. Working with and living among like-minded people increases the flow, until the banks of the riverbed grow so high that they become blinders, obscuring other options and points of view. Succinctly presenting her intriguing concept, Heffernan argues that this ultimately dangerous myopia may lead you to overlook threats to your own security or to the well-being of your community. getAbstract recommends that you bravely develop 360° eyesight by reading this revealing and informative exposé.

Take-Aways

  • “Willful blindness” leaves you vulnerable, disadvantaged and, at worst, complicit in evil.
  • People instinctively want to love, live and work with others most like themselves.
  • Rather than broaden people’s experiences, the Internet reinforces existing beliefs.

About the Author

Documentary-film producer Margaret Heffernan, CEO of Information Corporation, blogs for the Huffington Post, CBSMoneywatch and Inc., and is a visiting professor at Simmons College.

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