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2009 Release
Premature Factulation: The Ignorance of Certainty and the Ghost of Montaigne by Philip D. Hansten Drawing on the wisdom and profound humility of the brilliant 16th century French essayist Michel de Montaigne and other thinkers, this book explores the origins and manifestations of ignorant certainty. Why do we humans so vastly overestimate our understanding of the world? What human traits incline us to ignorant certainty? Why do leaders in government, business, economics, and even science so often lead us down the wrong paths? Finally, how can we counter the pernicious influence of Premature Factulation? Premature Factulation (n.) the process of coming to conclusions without adequate study or contemplation; usually applied to complex concepts or situations. --Syn. Ignorant Certainty. Buy Now: U.S. $19.50 |
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About the Author: Philip D. Hansten is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington in Seattle. His books on drug interactions have sold more than one million copies, and have been translated into six languages. He has lectured widely in North America and abroad. Examples of Montaigne’s Timeless Wisdom:
Montaigne on Torture: Tortures are a dangerous invention, and seem to be a test of endurance rather than of truth. Both the man who can endure them and the man who cannot endure them conceal the truth. What would a man not say, what would a man not do, to escape such grievous pain. Montaigne on Starting Wars: When I scrutinize closely the most glorious exploits of war, I see, it seems to me, that those who conduct them make use of deliberation and counsel only for form; they abandon the better part of the enterprise to fortune, and go beyond the limits of all reason at every turn. Montaigne on Ostentatious Piety: And I dislike to see a man cross himself three times at the Benedictite, … and meanwhile see him all the other hours of the day occupied with hatred, avarice and injustice. To vices their hour, to God his hour, as if by compensation. |
