**Can reading a book make you more rational? Can it help us understand
why there is so much irrationality in the world? Steven Pinker, author
of Enlightenment Now (Bill Gates's new favorite book of all time")
answers all the questions here
**
Today humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding--and
also appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed
vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news,
medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing?
Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply
irrational--cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and
illusions. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and
enriched our lives, and set out the benchmarks for rationality itself.
We actually think in ways that are sensible in the low-tech contexts in
which we spend most of our lives, but fail to take advantage of the
powerful tools of reasoning we've discovered over the millennia: logic,
critical thinking, probability, correlation and causation, and optimal
ways to update beliefs and commit to choices individually and with
others. These tools are not a standard part of our education, and have
never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book--until
now.
Rationality also explores its opposite: how the rational pursuit of
self-interest, sectarian solidarity, and uplifting mythology can add up
to crippling irrationality in a society. Collective rationality depends
on norms that are explicitly designed to promote objectivity and truth.
Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the
public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral
progress. Brimming with Pinker's customary insight and humor,
Rationality will enlighten, inspire, and empower.
* This audiobook includes a PDF of charts and graphs.
