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Wonderful review of “in defense”: Wall Street Journal

A review by Philip Delves Broughton in the May 10, 2018 Wall Street Journal is lengthy, thoughtful and “gets it”.  I’ll post 3 small sections of that review as it well describes parts of the content of “In defense of troublemakers..” “.. don’t ever preface your opposition to a proposal by saying: “Just to play devil’s … Continue reading Wonderful review of “in defense”: Wall Street Journal

Continuing…the review: The benefit/cost ratio

“It’s only through criticism that concepts receive proper scrutiny. “Repeatedly we find that dissent has value, even when it is wrong, even when we don’t like the dissenter, and even when we are not convinced of his position,” she writes. “Dissent . . . enables us to think more independently” and “also stimulates thought that is open, … Continue reading Continuing…the review: The benefit/cost ratio

An excerpt on diversity (WSJ review)

“Ms. Nemeth’s punchy book also has an invaluable section on diversity in groups. All too often,she writes, in pursuit of diversity we focus on everything but the way people think. We look at a group’s gender, color or experience, and once the palette looks right declare it diverse. But you can have all of that and still … Continue reading An excerpt on diversity (WSJ review)

My book has launched

My new book “In defense of troublemakers: the power of dissent in life and business” just launched March 20, 2018. t is a personal book as well as a professional one, being the culmination of a lifetime of thinking and researching influence –in particular, the power of both consensus and dissent. The bottom line is … Continue reading My book has launched

Review of “In defense…” Wall Street Journal

WSJReview-2

Thinking Differently

Seeing the Magritte exhibition reminded me of the power of art to create uncertainty, to put familiar scenes in unfamiliar contexts and to make us question what we see and what we know. Dissent, in challenging the view we take for granted has that same salutory effect.

Free speech

Cal has a new program to raise debate… WSJ, Nemeth, 5.10

Words Matter!

Words Matter! Recent domestic terrorism may be multiply determined but decades of research on aggression remind us that anger makes us predisposed to aggression but it is triggers such as the presence of guns or violent messaging that turn that anger into overt aggression. Politicians and everyday citizens need to bear responsibility for the consequences … Continue reading Words Matter!