Critics raved about the first edition of "DUMBTH"--a work that one described as "the ultimate how-to book." Now updated and expanded with twenty new ways to think better, this is Steve Allen's humorous and provocative examination of the increasing American tendency toward muddle-headedness and ineptitude, which Allen uniquely defines as "dumbth." After cataloguing a host of hilarious and sometimes alarming personal encounters with shoddy workmanship, bad service, failures to communicate, and the general breakdown in the capacity to reason, Allen offers 101 solutions to this widespread problem. He recommends that we add a fourth "R"--reasoning--to the traditional reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. Always witty and thought-provoking, 'DUMBTH" makes a compelling case that thinking well, like any skill, requires study, practice, and application.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Some good ideas, could have used a better editor:
I remember liking this book when I read it years ago, and intend to read it again soon, in which case I may revise and expand my comments here. One thing I recall about the book, though, was that some of the stories in it are repeated: not for emphasis, but in apparent disregard for their having already been used. Like another reviewer, I was also frustrated by the lack of an index. I typed up my own list of the 101 Ways, and discovered there's actually 102 since there are two different Rule 90s! D'oh!... more info
bad service is not dumb:
I love Steve Allen, but this book (like most of his) is pretty superficial and deals less with intelligence than bad service he's had to deal with. Sure, I like the coffee coming when I'm at a restaurant, but a slow refill is not a sign of low intellect.
Allen doesn't practice what he preaches:
Honestly, I could not finish this book. It was too infuriating. This is without a doubt the worst book on critical thinking I have ever read. First, let's get one thing out of the way: Steve Allen knows *how* to think critically. His advice for improving the reader's reasoning skills is generally not bad, which is the only reason I can give this book two stars. The problem, though, is that he doesn't actually *do* it. The book is chock full of examples of him failing to take his own advice -- lazy... more info
Fascinating/useful though Allen shows some dumbth of his own:
My thoughts on this book are mixed. Generally, I think that this book has some useful, insightful and funny observations and theories about how to think well.
However, there is one glaring defect: Allen's irrational interaction with others. Perhaps in Allen's reading of human psychology, he missed the two most fundamental features of human thinking.
First, people almost all of the time are thinking only of themselves. What's that mean? Steve Allen is not the center of everyone's universe! They are!... more info
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