In a world where fake news, mistrust of experts, prejudice and ignorance all too often hold sway, we can all too easily be misled over issues such as vaccinations, climate change or conspiracy theories.

We may not have to save the planet from nuclear annihilation, of course, but our ability to think critically has never been more important. He'd assessed the situation and reasoned that an error was more likely than such a limited attack. Instead, he made a call to say the system was faulty. Stanislaw Petrov knew his duty: he was to inform Moscow that nuclear war had begun, so that they could launch an immediate and devastating response. In September 1983, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union's early warning system showed five US missiles heading towards the country. It may seem a big claim, but knowing how to think clearly and critically has literally helped save the world. If our leaders were forced to read this book, the world would be a safer place' Richard Dawkins 'A beautifully reasoned book about our own unreasonableness' Robin Ince Why did revolutionary China consider the sparrow an 'animal of capitalism' - and what happened when they tried to wipe them out? With a cast of murderous popes, snake-oil salesmen and superstitious pigeons, find out why flawed logic puts us all at risk, and how critical thinking can save the world.

THE IRISH TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER 'An unstoppable page-turner.

Good thinking david robert grimes