Seeing Is Disbelieving

Reviews / Votes

'Neatly shows that in wartime people routinely believe false information that supports their side, until they have skin in the game and need accurate information to guide their behavior.' Sacha Altay, University of Zurich 'Why do people trust misinformation during conflicts? Daniel Silverman's critical book is ideal for both political psychologists and international relations theorists alike. It explores the micro-dynamics of misinformation, which has become the primary battlefronts in war. He examines whether people actually believe the lies they are told during war and how people sort fact from fiction as the intersection between the facts that they believe and what motivates them to do so? Drawing from quantitative and qualitative sources, this book offers a unique and granular understanding from the FARC, to the Taliban and ISIS of how people determine fact from fiction despite the fog of war.' Mia Bloom, Georgia State University and New America 'An eye-opening and colourful adventure that transformed my understanding of conflict .... I find myself applying this book's main idea all over the place.' Michael Spagat, Royal Holloway College, University of London 'An important and incredibly timely book for scholars and policymakers. Seeing is Disbelieving combines a novel theory with rich survey data, large-N empirical data, and in-depth fieldwork to help us better understand the reasons why people believe misinformation and hold misperceptions during conflict.' Thomas Zeitzoff, American University School of Public Affairs