“Path to Power, Road to Ruin: The Dangers of Political and Religious Ideologies is not just a cautionary tale; it’s a compelling and deeply personal analysis of how ideologies, when left unchecked, can drive societies toward conflict, repression, and even genocide. Combining historical evidence with his own journey of disillusionment, Kavanagh challenges readers to question long-held beliefs and confront the high costs of ideological thinking…. Kavanagh ultimately offers hope. The final chapter, “The Road to a Better Future,” argues that embracing analytical, evidence-based thinking over ideological faith can lead to healthier societies. Drawing from examples in business, sports, and the military, he shows that fact-based approaches consistently yield better outcomes.”

“(Kavanagh) goes on to examine how power-hungry leaders have exploited ideologies for their own ends and the roles of ideologies in fostering some of history's grimmest examples of brutality…. The author urges readers to question the ideological fallacies that they may blindly embrace and offers pragmatic advice for developing well-grounded, bottoms-up belief systems based on openness, high standards of evidence, research, and intellectual honesty…. Kavanagh here aims to provide "ordinary people" with a path toward ideological freedom. His accessible writing style is backed by a solid grasp of the relevant academic literature— the text is accompanied by two dozen pages of endnotes and bibliographic citations. … the book otherwise mounts a powerful argument against extremism on all sides.”

“Path to Power, Road to Ruin is a smartly written and helpful primer on the baleful influence of political and religious ideologies and how people can — and should — assess an ideology against facts and reality before believing it. The insidious nature of political and religious ideologies — and how people can avoid falling into their snares — is the focus of Path to Power, Road to Ruin by John Kavanagh…. With a blend of psychology, sociology, history, and political science, Kavanagh digs into the motivations of both dictatorial leaders and the large swathes of people who are hypnotized by a pre-formed, easy-bake way of viewing the world … to their own detriment. He shows step-by-step how ideologies work, how the powerful employ them, and how and why people fall for them…. Kavanagh warns…people to refuse to accept false narratives and, rather, apply their own analytical thinking to discover the truth of an issue.”

“There will be uncomfortable truths that virtually any reader will have to face about the damage done by those [groups] we may have felt proud to belong to, but the historical evidence presented here is undeniable. This is a chilling look at the reality of the world we live in and how the same tactics have been used for thousands of years to foster compliance and support for truly revolting actions. The fact that the dangerous examples of those empires and dictators remain relevant makes this book a necessary and sobering reminder for the modern world.”