Why does the world need this book?

If this recent lockdown experience has taught us anything it's that the world is going crazy. Many have lost trust in experts and just don't know what to believe any more.

People hurl links at each other on social media like ninja stars and there are so many 'alternative facts' that the truth gets lost along the way.

There are many debunking and fact checking websites out there but only hard-core skeptics visit them. The language of science is often inaccessible and dismissive to the uninitiated.

So I want to write Science For Hippies to provide a simple, friendly guide to what science and critical thinking are all about. The book will explore the scientific method, cognitive biases, the uses and limits of intuition and address common concerns about funding and credibility.

The book won't offer detailed breakdowns of why individual conspiracy theories aren't true. No one likes to be told why they're wrong (and especially not in detail!).  Instead we'll look at how can we know anything at all? Not what to think but how.

And that can help make the world a better place to live in.

Why raise money for this book?

I'll be honest: I thought I'd sooner sell a kidney than do a crowdfunding campaign. I find it excruciatingly awkward to ask anyone for money.

I'm an experienced writer, however, and think that I can write a book that's worth reading. So here you can order your copy of the book in advance and I have something to live on in the meanwhile.

The truth is, however, I'll write the book whether I reach the target or not - it will just take a lot longer!

And if there's momentum behind this campaign then I can also make videos and podcasts to accompany the chapters. There will also be a blog where you can see the ongoing work and I'd like this to be the seed for a movement to reconcile science with spirituality.

To be honest, if you're already the kind of person who reads science of a regular basis this book won't teach you much. But don't you know 1 or 2 (or 50!) people who could really do with learning the basics?

Why should I write Science For Hippies?

I used to believe a lot of...interesting things.

But then I read and read and read and discovered that amazing superpower that science bestows: the ability to change my mind. I learned to recognise the flaws in own thinking and learned how science makes the world a more magical place, not less.

I've written 5 books and so I know how to create structure and narrative, how to edit and craft a bunch of thoughts and stories into something worth reading. And I've already written a lot about alternative culture.

You can download here for free my book about the Rainbow Gatherings - rainbow gatherings are kind of a month-long autonomous gathering of free spirits in isolated places across the world. 

Or you can to www.tomthumb.org to see other examples of my storytelling.

And I'd love your feedback. Perhaps together we can help  restore some reason to a world that needs it more now than ever before.

www.scienceforhippies.com