Seeing Is Disbelieving

‘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

‘Silverman has identified a gap between the study of war and the study of conspiracy theories, contending that ‘understanding misinformation in war and conflict … has received little scholarly attention’. The author’s thesis is that misinformation takes hold and persists when people believe what they want to believe and what they are told to believe, regardless of whether it has a factual basis … Recommended.’ S. Clerc, CHOICE

‘With so much written on disinformation and misinformation over the past decade, original research on these topics has become rare. But Daniel Silverman’s Seeing Is Disbelieving is genuinely novel. … The interesting question, and one Silverman’s research invites us all to think about, is what other issues his insights about what makes people believe disinformation and misinformation might apply to. The stakes are high because if we can understand better what motivates people to seek out accurate information, we could mitigate the harm disinformation and misinformation appear to be causing to democracy, social cohesion, and the world’s ability to solve the collective challenges we face. Seeing Is Disbelieving has provided an invaluable step in that direction, and its thought-provoking findings deserve to be read widely.’ Thomas Colley, Lawfare