I just ordered Al Gore's book "Assault on Reason"!

[jasmeel]

You should too! Let's make this big for Gore! It also looks like a good read. Only $15 at Amazon.

"In the months following the release of An Inconvenient Truth, I began to focus on why our democracy has been so slow to deal with the climate crisis. The unwillingness to solve this problem is not only the result of a lack of political will, but it has also been caused by the emergence of a new political environment dangerously hostile to reason, knowledge, and facts. In the long-term, this poses a threat to the very basis of American democracy: the ability of a well-informed citizenry to use the rule of reason to hold government accountable.
This Assault on Reason is the focus of my new book that goes on sale today. You can purchase the book at your local bookstore or by visiting:
http://www.amazon.com/Assault-Reason-Al-Gore/dp/1594201226

When George Bush launched his preemptive war in Iraq, more than 70% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorists who caused 9-11. After the 2004 election, when asked what stuck in their minds about the campaign, voters in Ohio named two ads playing to the fears of terrorism paid for by the Bush Campaign. One pattern that has held true since 2001 is that this White House is less interested in openness and truth than any previous administration.

We are facing so many long-term challenges, from the climate crisis and the war in Iraq to health care and social welfare. To solve these problems and move forward we need to reverse the damage done to our democracy. We have little time to waste.

My goal in The Assault on Reason is to explore why our public forum now welcomes the enemies of reason. More importantly, the book focuses on what we can do together, individually and collectively, to restore the rule of reason to our democracy.

You can purchase The Assault on Reason by visiting:
http://www.amazon.com/Assault-Reason-Al-Gore/dp/1594201226

My team will be emailing those of you who live in the cities that I will visit for book signings. I hope that I'll have the chance to see you in person."

[LSK]

1. I bought it today at Target for $18 something

Its in stock.

[Adsos Letter]

2. I bought it today at COSTCO; $14.99 and they had a pile of them.

[Jim__]

3. I just started reading this yesterday.

I've read the intoduction and part of chapter 1. Looks interesting. I also heard Al Gore speak about this on CSpan over the weekend.

I am curious about one thing. Gore says that with the invention of the printing press, people had the ability get their ideas out into the public sphere. I would have thought that when the printing press first came out, it would have been availble mostly to the aristocracy and the rich. Does anyone know of any references that talk about the availabilty of the printing press to the general public in the New World? I agree with an awful lot of what Gore says about the effect of television as a one-way communication medium; but I was surprised to hear that access to the printing press was generally availble before the American Revolution.

[Kiouni]

4. It was the Bible

Originally only the clergy had access to the bible and therefore they were the only ones who needed to be literate. Once everyone had a bible (printing was far cheaper then scribe copings) the playing fields changed, christianity (as a demagogue) fractured and splintered with new takes on scripture. But because of the availability of the text most people learned how to read from the Bible.

[Jim__]

5. My understanding of Gore's argument is that one of the problems with our democracy ...

... today is that most people get their information from TV and TV is a one-way medium. I agree that people became literate after the invention of the printing press; but that leaves print as a one-way medium. Gore is arguing that, after the invention of the printing press, people could publish their ideas and this led to a market place of ideas, which eventually led to the idea of individual rights and government by consent.

My guess is that most people did not have access to a printing press for publication purposes. Although, he may be correct that publication was now available to far more people than the prior to this invention. I'm curious as to how extensive was the availability of the press for publication purposes.

[shimmergal]

9. I'm just judging by Diana Gabaldon's novels and

some lore about Benjamin Franklin, but printers in early America would do jobs for anyone who paid them, and I have the impression that printing was relatively much cheaper than the amount it takes today to publish a book or newspaper. More like taking something to the copy shop to get it run off.

The real bottleneck today, though, is in distribution. I don't think this was a problem in colonial America, as cities were much smaller and anyone with something to say in print would soon find people seeking them out thru word-of-mouth.

In Europe it might not have been so easy. During certain periods in Britain, I believe one had to get royal permission before publishing (makes you understand why our founders were so keen on freedom of the press!) Dunno what the situation was in other countries--anybody else out there know about that?

[Jim__]

10. Thanks. That's the type of information I was looking for.

I can probably find some books on colonial times in the US that talk about the general availability of printing presses.

[Hamlette]

6. I hated the book

I hate to say that because I like Gore BUT I thought he was off base on several points.

Yes, there has been an assault on reason but it is not new. Iraq was a dreadful mistake but worse than slavery? Vietnam? McCarthyism? The freaking dark ages? Inquisition? Salem Witch trials?

Please.

I felt he was so condesending, I felt I was being lectured by someone sooooooooo much smarter than I am (he could be, but honestly, its not necessary!)

I can't recommend it.

Worse is that after Inconvenient Truth I was becomming a Draft Gore kinda person but after this book I'm not a fan.

[closeupready]

11. I enjoyed the book but I agree that he's off on a couple points.

For example, as someone else mentioned, he laments how important mass media TV has become in our national dialogue to the detriment of the marketplace of ideas. However, that's a symptom of a larger problem which is the suburbanization of our society (which has created lots of other problems, as well).

But I thought on the whole, he laid out clearly what his concerns were and why we should be, too.

[Z_I_Peevey]

7. Halfway through it and bowled over by his brilliant presentation.

Sure, it's not a dense, scholarly tome. It is aimed at the mass market. He explains--in terms not as simple as standard boilerplate campaign book-speak, but complex enough to have solid meaning and historical significance--just WHY we are in the mess we're in.

He doesn't pull punches; he tells the truth. It's readable, it's understandable; it calls us to our better selves, our Constitutional duties.

And, it sounds like a DU'er could have written it.

[sandyd921]

8. I just ordered "Assault" from Powells.com

I try to make it a point of patronizing blue/likely to be progressive merchants. My price? $18.16 plus free shipping for orders of $50 or more. I am also getting Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast, Screwed by Thom Hartmann, and It can happen here by Joe Conason. All for $56.83. A good deal all around!

[Sacajawea]

12. Just requested the audio book from the public library...it's on its way.

[flaminbats]

13. a tale of two books...

Gore and Bradley ran against each other in the 2000 primaries, that is why I decided read their books back to back. yet my analysis of these books may be biased, because I voted for Bradley in the primary. yet I did support Gore in the general election.

IMO Bradley is a much better writer than Gore. In "The New American Story" Bradley makes different, yet related points in each chapter. but he uses the book to connect these points, and to provide Democrats with an agenda they should run on in 2008.

Gore uses the "Assault on Reason" to focus on how Bush has no respect for the sovereignty of other nations, of the other branches of government, and of the Bill of Rights in this nation. the problem is he uses every chapter to rephrase the problem in different ways.

I have finished Bradley's book, but have only made it to Chapter 7 in Gore's book. although each Chapter has a different name in Gore's book, so far they all seem to make the same points! that television and radio are one-way mediums which is an "Assault on Reason", that the internet and printing press provide forms of mass media that encourage a more logical dialog of the issues. but the Bush administration uses mass media to mislead the public while neutralizing all who disagree with them.

I have agreed with most of what is in Gore's book so far, yet I fear that the next three chapters will only repeat those same points already made in the last six chapters!