Big lies are told by governments, politicians, and corporations to avoid responsibility, cast blame on the innocent, win elections, disguise intent, create chaos, and gain power and wealth. Big lies are as old as civilization; they corrupt public understanding and discourse, turn science upside down, and reinvent history. The future stewards of our world require a how-to manual for seeing through big lies and thinking critically, because big lies require believers, and democracy depends on independent thought.

Entreaty --Masked revelers in a carnival of lies -- The Enlightenment and the unenlightened -- Denial: the short way around science -- Favorite lies about women -- A snowball in France: the blame game -- Soviet mathematics: 2 + 2 = 5 -- The truth about American truth -- Big dictators and small lies -- Photographic lies -- Saving children: a best-loved lie -- The golden lasso of truth.