The Battle for Thought

<strong>Big Brother is watching us...and mind control is, in a real sense, a reality. What are we going to do about it?</strong>

When one of his articles goes viral, Simon McCarthy-Jones finds himself, at all hours of the day and night, having the thought 'check Facebook'. But was it really <em>his</em> thought? How often do you think of something, only for your computer spookily to feed you just the right ad. Or Google a 'unique' question, only for autocomplete to get there well ahead. In <em>The Battle for Thought</em>, psychologist Simon McCarthy-Jones unpicks the research into how our minds work and how it's being used to manipulate us for corporate profit. He investigates what is meant by freedom of thought - a human right frequently invoked, but rarely defined.

In the face of radically advanced surveillance and mental manipulation, McCarthy-Jones shows that there are solutions: many of the sources of threats to our minds - psychology, technology and government - can also offer us new ways to protect our freedom of thought. We can structure society to support free thought, finding a way for science and technology, coupled with social and political will and supported by the law, to liberate and enhance our ability to think freely.