Survival Guide for Outsiders: How to protect yourself from politicians, experts, and other insiders

Insiders, such as officials, “experts,” and pundits, are in the position to manipulate us outsiders, who are known as John or Jane Doe.  Survival Guide for Outsiders discusses why outsiders are vulnerable and reveals some of the insiders’ techniques. At the same time it suggests ways to protect ourselves from falling victims to the insiders’ tricks. Throughout it utilizes real-world examples.   Survival Guide for Outsiders shows there are two types of experts, and urges us to distinguish between them. Besides exploring the limits of prediction accuracy, it describes the inevitable gaps in reason and control when we make choices and commit ourselves to action.  It warns about the abuse of numbers and computers, and demonstrates why they are often useless when making a choice in a controversial issue.   Along the way, it examines the significance of the two components of a job; introduces the GRIMP, the model, the choice between incomparables, the dead-fish principle, distortions by commission and by omission, and the action syndrome.   Awareness of these concepts will help you defend yourself and, incidentally, help preserve a functioning democracy.