There are things we do not see, because we choose not to, because, in the words of margaret heffernan, we are willfully blind. Wilful blindness by margaret heffernan waterstones. Anthony flood tells that in the early 1970s, i was an acolyte of herbert aptheker19152003. With deft prose and page after page of keen insights, heffernan shows why we. Willful blindness has been a recent area of concern in the world of white collar crimes because ceos and other corporate executives have claimed that they did not know about the. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Political science carbon dioxide environmental aspects carbon taxes political aspects social aspects climate change conferences, meetings and seminars forecasts and trends climatic changes greenhouse gases. Mccarthy, 2008, encounter books edition, in english 1st ed. Oct 22, 2015 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published.
We prefer to surround ourselves by people who think like us and share our ideals and values. Mccarthy takes readers back to the real beginning of the war on terrornot the atrocities of september 11, but the first bombing of the world trade. Mccarthy takes readers back to the real beginning of th. Willful blindness free summary by margaret heffernan. In 1998, saramago received the nobel prize for literature, and blindness was one of his works noted by the committee when announcing the award. Former ceo turned blogger explores the reasons why we dont or wont see what we should. Prior to listening to willful blindness, id read about a dozen books about failed decision mak i purchased the audio version of the. Why we ignore the obvious reissue by margaret heffernan isbn. Psychologist, author, ceo and parttime lecturer margaret heffernan explains the psychology of willful blindness in her book, willful blindness. In a talk thats part history lesson, part calltoaction, margaret heffernan demonstrates the danger of. Aml glossary w willful blindness legal principle that operates in money laundering cases in the u.
Wilful blindness book by margaret heffernan official. In ira robbins 1990 article, the ostrich instruction. In its wide use of psychological research and examples from history, the book has been compared to work by malcolm gladwell and nicholas taleb. She examines and continually revisits specific incidents in recent history, then judges who was blind to what. The secret assault on our nations character, is an expose of a practice that she persuasively argues has cost us dearly in the past and. Great book, with the title proving more than a appropriate. That means we have to filter or edit what we take in. Feb 01, 2011 the authors willful blindness is her political bias, which plays peekaboo throughout the book. In deciding whether to give a willful blindness instruction, in addition to an actual knowledge instruction, the district. Feb 17, 2012 the book offers examples of willful blindness from almost every aspect of life and in the good tradition of self help books, it even tells you how to tackle it.
They call it willful blindness in this season of lent in this time of corona virus. What started out as three guys entertaining at a high school graduation party has turned in to a legitimate, widely eclectic rock and roll cover band project. Heffernan explains how willful blindness develops before exploring ways that institutions and individuals can combat it. Fully revised and updated since its first publication in 2011 to encompass further appalling instances of wilful blindness. Buy wilful blindness by margaret heffernan from waterstones today. How women entrepreneurs are changing the rules of business success, 2007, etc. The book explores how willful blindness develops and then goes on to outline. Those who want to dig more deeply into this fascinating and disturbing truecrime story will find much more information and documentation at the website. Willful blindness kills hope for climate change reversal. Aug 15, 2011 throughout the years, the willful blindness doctrine has given prosecutors the chance to get convictions against a variety of highprofile white collar defendants.
Feb 02, 2012 the book is full of illustrations of wilful blindness in action and the vast majority of examples are unarguable. The book is full of illustrations of wilful blindness in action and the vast majority of examples are unarguable. The authors willful blindness is her political bias, which plays peekaboo throughout the book. Read willful blindness why we ignore the obvious at our peril by margaret heffernan. Wilful blindness book by margaret heffernan official publisher page. The necessity of willful blindness in writing the memoirist terese marie mailhot on how maggie nelsons bluets taught her to explode the parameters of what a book is supposed to be joe fassler.
The book explores how willful blindness develops and then goes on to outline some of the mechanisms, structures and strategies that institutions and individuals can use to combat it. But i am interested in why we choose to keep ourselves in the dark. You can order your copy by clicking the link below. Why we ignore the obvious at our peril reprint by margaret heffernan isbn. Heffernan explores the friendly alibis we manufacture for our own inertia the same ones fueling the backfire effect that explains why its so hard for us to change our minds. Wilful blindness came about when the banks started to collapse and everybody said they couldnt possibly have seen this coming, and i thought actually, dont be so stupid, everybody could. It exacerbates and often rewards all the other drivers of willful blindness. Willful blindness sometimes called ignorance of law.
Mccarthy went well beyond the usual due diligence of prosecutors, and in this book and the related video on the conservative economist web site he shares his insights into the mindset and. Philip zimbardo uniquely broad in scope, insightfully analyzed, and engagingly written. This is a book that everyone should read with eyesand mindswide open. Public world willful blindness is bad for the health roger kline 1 according to british mps, rupert murdoch, media mogul, stands accused of having turned a blind eye and exhibited wilful blindness to what was going on in his companies and publications. Whether individual or collective, willful blindness doesnt have a single driver, but many. That is mainly why i finally wrote the memoir in 2008.
Willful blindness ebook by margaret heffernan 9780802777959. Wilful blindness was the subject of a book by the entrepreneur and author margaret heffernan last year. Gayla benefield was just doing her job until she uncovered an awful secret about her hometown that meant its mortality rate was 80 times higher than anywhere else in the us. Buy willful blindness reprint by mccarthy, andrew isbn. Deliberate ignorance as a criminal mens rea states that a court can properly find willful blindness only where it can almost be said that the. This indepth look at willful blindness is an excellent read albert bandura. The book closes with a relatively brief discussion of how to mitigate the conditions in which willful blindness can flourish. Valhalla united methodist church willful blindness facebook. Mar 09, 2011 hope lies within the pages of willful blindness if you are willing to see. Wilful blindness is the title of an excellent book about whistleblowing. Ensaio sobre a cegueira, meaning essay on blindness is a novel by portuguese author jose saramago. If youre a reader of malcolm gladwell you will enjoy the flow and insight of this business book. Professor, blogger and documentaryfilm producer margaret heffernan borrows an analogy from neuroscientist robert burton to explain willful blindness. Wilful blindness is bad for the health public world.
In this book, margaret heffernan draws on psychological studies, social statistics, interviews with relevant protagonists, and her own experience to throw light on willful blindness and why whistleblowers and cassandras are so rare. In willful blindness, he unfolds the troubled history of modern american counterterrorism. The author advances several possible strategies, including. Why we ignore the obvious at our peril kindle edition by.
A book that will open eyes to the most serious problem of our times. A deliberate ignoranceor willful blindness instruction is only relevant if the jury rejects the governments evidence of actual knowledge. The fbi and other federal law enforcement agencies appeared to have been willfully blind. Im encouraging you to see see your family and friends around you. Throughout the years, the willful blindness doctrine has given prosecutors the chance to get convictions against a variety of highprofile white collar defendants. Like water moving in a riverbed, the flow of ideas, experiences and information over time carves out a belief system in your neural pathways. The necessity of willful blindness in writing the atlantic. Willful blindness combines compelling anecdotes, insightful interviews, and convincing scientific evidence to confront the mental distortions that conspire to blind us. Margaret heffernan is an entrepreneur, ceo, writer and keynote speaker. This indepth look at willful blindness is an excellent read. His book, willful blindness, details this trial and reveals the high cost and ineffectuality of relying upon the legal system to combat terrorism.
About willful blindness with deft prose and page after page of keen insights, heffernan shows why we close our eyes to facts that threaten our families, our livelihood, and our selfimageand, even better, she points the way out of the darkness. Like so many people in willful blindness, they ignore the research on the efficacy of preparedness programs, and they continue to promote and. Margaret heffernan argues that the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we dont seenot because theyre secret or invisible, but because were willfully blind. It is one of his most famous novels, along with the gospel according to jesus christ and baltasar and blimunda. Margaret heffernan was born in texas, grew up in the netherlands and was educated at cambridge university. Mccarthy, 97815940324, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. With deft prose and page after page of keen insights, heffernan shows why we close our eyes. Summary of wilful blindness why we ignore the obvious at. Accountability and willful blindness washington times. He was also a sharp, aggressive prosecutor, and his book authoritatively makes several important points, correcting misunderstandings about the case and highlighting issues that have received. But when she tried to tell people about it, she learned an even more shocking truth.
Abby martin speaks with margaret heffernan, entrepreneur and author of the upcoming book a bigger prize about how the notion of willful blindness. About the author margaret heffernan margaret heffernan is an entrepreneur, chief executive and author whose third book, willful blindness, was shortlisted for the 2011financial timesgoldman sachs best business book. Willful blindness engages the complexity of one of the most pervasive issues we face as human beings. Countless people in positions of authority in emergency preparedness and disaster response all across the country, but particularly in disasterprone regions could be featured in any sequel to this book. Why we ignore the obvious reissue by heffernan, margaret isbn. Why we ignore the obvious at our peril by margaret hoffernan in the hans christian anderson fairy tale, the emperors new clothes, two con men promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that, they said, was invisible to those who were foolish or stupid. In a brisk, easytoready foray into vast interior territory, heffernan how she does it. The guilty verdict sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world. Feb 07, 2012 the guilty verdict sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world. In the case of the us government versus enron, the presiding judge chose to employ the legal concept of willful blindness. In 1998, saramago received the nobel prize for literature, and blindness was one of his works noted by the. The psychology of willful blindness is a human phenomenon to which we all succumb in matters little and large. Why we ignore the obvious at our peril, named one of the most important business books of the decade by the financial times, looked at how our most cherished beliefs, behaviors and rules blind us to what matters most. The supreme courts willful blindness doctrine opens the.
With deft prose and page after page of keen insights, heffernan shows why we close our. Willful blindness makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in true crime. It is a human phenomenon to which we all succumb in matters little and large. She suggests the concept can be an unspoken attitude common to. Faith wood, inspiring minds consulting in spite of our protests to the contrary, we as individuals prefer the familiar to the unfamiliar.
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