knowledge, sociology of

Examining such disciplines as education, journalism, encyclopedia creation, museum curation, photography and broadcasting, an award-winning writer explores how humans have attained, stored, and disseminated knowledge.

"[The author argues that] the information age has helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues . . . [Moreover, he asserts that] all voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism . . . [This book] is not only an exploration of [what the author argues is] a dangerous phenomenon but also a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the information age"--Provided by publisher.

"[The author]draws on his research into public perception across more than forty countries, offering a sweeping account of the stubborn problem of human delusion: how society breeds it, why it will never go away, and what our misperceptions say about what we really believe"--Amazon.

Cognitive science explains how the human brain relies on the intelligence and knowledge of others in order to overcome its shortcomings of being error prone, irrational, and often ignorant.

"[The author argues that] the information age has helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues ...[Moreover, he asserts that] all voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism ... [This book] is not only an exploration of [what the author argues is] a dangerous phenomenon but also a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the information age"--Provided by publisher.

Divided into thirteen areas of knowledge, more than 400 lists and illustrations present the order, hierarchy, and structure of both natural and man-made things, such as the longest rivers, the highest mountains, the ranks of the Mafia, and the order of events in the Big Bang.

Presents thirteen essays that discuss the activities that surround the creation of social-scientific knowledge about the social world.

Attempts to understand aspects of how the world works, looking at a number of social issues from a purely practical perspective, without emotional, moral, or political considerations.