I can't stand those useless fools

If you are looking for a rollicking snarky take on many forms of BS that beset modern discourse, then you will probably quite like How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World (AKA Idiot Proof). A few things must be said straight away. The first is that the "how" question isn't really addressed aside from a few references to Mencken. The second is that the author, Francis Wheen, is in some ways unfair. He simplifies a number of arguments and fails to surface the nuance in some positions.

Those qualms aside, his book is nasty fun. He starts by saying that the Enlightment spirit of rational inquiry is dying amidst the intellectual muck of the latter 20th century. His targets include: free market evangelists of the 80s, deconstructionists, conspiracy theorists, New Agers, creationists, Princess Diana cultists, self-help books, pro-globalization pundits, anti-globalization pundits, and big idea academic turned pop historians. So, as you laugh at the buffoons, it is not unlikely that you will find some of his critiques hitting close to home.

The prose style is waspish, spiteful and superior, in a way British writers tend to pull off better than American writers. The closest American writer in style would be PJ O'Rourke. And while he is unfair in his simplification, he is fair in his targets. Despite his left leaning credentials, he is quite hard on the left as well.

While the book will have you laughing, there is a element of creeping horror. Have people lost the ability to think? Or more appropriately the ability to think without ideological blinkers and a need to feel good? Or was the Enlightenment always limited to a few people? There is little comforting here.