The 2022 Digital Tonto Reading List
“Don’t believe everything you think” has become something of a mantra of mine. It’s a simple idea, but desperately hard to accomplish. Once we get an idea in our heads, confirmation bias kicks in and we go looking for evidence that supports it while ignoring facts which would point us in another direction.
What makes the problem even more pervasive is that we tend to get our ideas from people around us who are exposed to the same information sources we are. So our social networks reinforce our biases and increase our level of certainty. That’s how we end up going in very wrong directions and making big mistakes.
One way out of the trap is to read widely. Looking through the books I’ve read over the past year I’m struck by the contrasting points of view and how different they are from past lists. Every year is an opportunity to learn more and see farther, which is what Borges probably meant when he said, “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Book (And Video) Of The Year
The Gates of Europe by Serhii Plokhy
Obviously, Ukraine has been a focal point this year and, for many people unfamiliar with the country, can be somewhat confusing. What is at the root of the conflict? What are they fighting over? What did the Ukrainians to raise the…
