TV, video games, the Internet—many people blame technology for the violence, narcissism, and secularism in society today. But Professor Benjamin Wiker argues technology isn't to blame—philosophy is. In his controversial new book, 10 Books That Screwed Up the World (And 5 Others That Didn't Help), Wiker proves that some of Western civilization's most "respected" books are really the root of many modern-day destructive ideas and cultural vices.

Taking aim at such books as Machiavelli's The Prince and Hitler's Mein Kampf, Wiker shows how these authors' perverse ideologies not only have led to past atrocities like war and genocide, but also how their philosophies are still popular and damaging today. Their ideas might influence your own thinking and you don't even realize it! In this intelligent and provocative exposé, you'll learn:

• How Hobbes's Leviathan promotes the belief that we have a "right" to have and do whatever we want.
• How Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil promotes atheism and paved the way for popular atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.
• How Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa promotes promiscuity and divorce.

Witty, shocking, and instructive, Wiker seizes each of these evil books by its malignant heart and exposes it to the light of day, offering a quick education on the worst ideas in human history—and how we can combat them in the future.