![]() Collective rationality depends on norms that are explicitly designed to promote objectivity and truth. 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. These tools are not a standard part of our education, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book–until now. 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. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives, and set out the benchmarks for rationality itself. Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply irrational–cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions. ![]() ![]() 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? ![]() By this definition, to be a rational person you have to know things. ![]() Today humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding–and also appears to be losing its mind. Pinker, a cognitive and evolutionary psychologist, sees it instrumentally, as the ability to use knowledge to attain goals. ![]()
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