It can be easy to trap yourself in an echo chamber, unintentionally or not. Even when we try to research the other side of something ourselves, we can often wind up piloting ourselves in intentionally weak directions, dismissing sources without looking into them, taking the word of those who are biased, etc. One of the best ways to research a topic you oppose is to simply ask someone on the opposition: What convinced you?
Thread is simple: What books do you recommend for people who disagree with you on a certain subject, and why? The point is not to debate the books or their subjects, but merely recommend them for the pursuit of intellectual honesty. I'll go first:
"Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen. It is a well-researched book for those who see American history or Western history in general in sentimental or simplistically "proud" shades. The book is not intended to be an antagonistic takedown of the United States, but rather the dangers of the country's tendency to sanitize and even outright lie about its own history for the sake of its own self-congratulatory myth of grandeur and greatness. The message is one about becoming great through learning from our mistakes, not hiding them.
"The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory" by Cynthia Eller. It is a common assumption, especially among feminists of a more spiritual flavor, that humanity started out in matriarchal societies and then gradually became patriarchal. Eller, however, explains how this is largely pseudohistory with no evidence to back it up, and explains (and elaborates further on in the book's sequel, "Gentlemen and Amazons") how the hypothesis actually originated as an anti-feminist theory to show how "evolved" societies naturally gravitate towards men being in charge. Eller furthers argues how despite the feminist intentions of the current myth, it actually serves to perpetuate negative stereotypes about women and indirectly reinforces the dangerous notion that the past can justify the future. I didn't agree with everything in the book, particularly the parts about biological sex, but the main point about the history and the dangerous assumptions at play are solid.
"Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism" by Aron Ra. It is a step by step breakdown of every argument creationism has and why it does not work, packed with evidence shooting down just about every myth creationist pseudoscience sells to the religiously hopeful. Ra leaves zero wiggle room and demonstrates that the only real way to continue being a creationist is to purposely avoid actual science.
PS: I wasn't sure whether this best belonged in General or Arts & Fiction and thought this was the safest option. Please feel free to move if inappropriate.
