Third Millennium Thinking: Crating Sense in a World of Nonsense

Based on a wildly popular University of California, Berkeley course, this book shows how to use scientists’ tools and frameworks of thinking to navigate a world full of overwhelming, contradictory, or misleading information

In an age of data deluge, conflicting expert opinions, and complex societal dilemmas, the authors argue that a form of thinking they call “third-millennium thinking” can help individuals and communities make better decisions. The authors—a physicist, a philosopher, and a psychologist—draw on real-life examples, thought exercises, and interdisciplinary insights to unpack how to evaluate evidence, distinguish signal from noise, challenge biases, and engage in constructive collective decision-making.

“A pertinent study about how knowing what questions to ask is the way to cut through confusion and misunderstanding. . . the authors offer valuable tools for understanding this complex, confusing era.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in how best to navigate our complex world of information overload. Engagingly and informatively, it emphasizes how processes used in the practice of science can provide widely-applicable tools for approaching individual and collective decision-making.” — Five Books

“The authors’ book aims to empower readers with strategies to better assess and incorporate information as they make decisions, from the individual to the societal level.” — The Wall Street Journal