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Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters Hardcover – September 28, 2021

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,648 ratings

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Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

A primer in logical thinking and an entertaining expedition through all the trapdoors

A reader-friendly primer in better thinking through the cultivation... of a sound argument

Rationality will enlighten, inspire, and empower.

Both a celebration of humans' ability to make things better with careful thinking -Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Erudite, lucid, funny and dense with fascinating material . . . A pragmatic dose of measured optimism, presenting rationality as a fragile but achievable ideal in personal and civic life. . . . It’s no small achievement to make formal logic, game theory, statistics and Bayesian reasoning delightful topics full of charm and relevance."—The Washington Post

“An impassioned and zippy introduction to the tools of rational thought… Punchy, funny and invigorating.”
—The Times (London)

“An engaging analysis of the highest of our faculties and perhaps (ironically) the least understood” The Wall Street Journal

“If you’ve ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read
Rationality instead.”Jonathan Haidt, New York Times bestselling co-author of THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND
 
“Pinker manages to be scrupulously rigorous yet steadily accessible and entertaining whether probing the rationality of Andrew Yang’s presidential platform, Dilbert cartoons, or Yiddish proverbs. The result is both a celebration of humans’ ability to make things better with careful thinking and a penetrating rebuke to muddleheadedness”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
 
“A reader-friendly primer in better thinking through the cultivation of that rarest of rarities: a sound argument.”
—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books, he has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign Policy‘s 100 Leading Global Thinkers. His books include The Blank Slate, The Stuff of ThoughtThe Better Angels of Our NatureThe Sense of Style, and Enlightenment Now.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (September 28, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525561994
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525561996
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.4 x 9.29 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,648 ratings

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Steven Pinker is one of the world's leading authorities on language and the mind. His popular and highly praised books include The Stuff of Thought, The Blank Slate, Words and Rules, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching, books, and scientific research, Pinker is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also writes frequently for The New York Times, Time, The New Republic, and other magazines.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,648 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2023
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4.0 out of 5 stars Rational Thinking and Why it is so Important
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2023
Rationality, the use of reason, and the thought processes that relate to them seem to be in short supply. With advances in science and other breakthroughs, rational thinking should be at an all- time high, but it is not. The problems with human thinking and bias and the different reasons why rationality is not used as much as it should is the basis of this book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.

This book covers many pieces of the rational thinking puzzle, explaining what it is, what it is not, and why it is so seemingly difficult for some people to grasp. Sections of the book discuss such topics as critical thinking, logic, correlation and causation, game theory, and much more.

Probably the most valuable parts of this book are the ones on risk/reward and the section that covers the understanding and interpretation of probabilities. With risk and reward, one doesn’t have to look around or search for very long to see all the ways that humans behave irrationally. One example the book mentions is the tendency of people to purchase costly extended warranties that will likely never be used or, if they are used, will not be worth the price paid. Another is the understanding of percentage chance and what it really means. How many people do you know who think if the weather forecast is 51% or better chance for rain that it absolutely will rain, or 49% or worse that it won’t rain? These interpretations, and others like them, are irrational yet we see and hear them regularly.

My personal favorite part of the book is the section that discusses probabilities. Humans have a very poor understanding of how probabilities work and this makes it easy for politicians, business leaders, and others to manipulate data. My only issue with this part of the book is that it doesn’t offer enough examples. Getting people to understand how probability works isn’t easy and some of the book’s explanations, while accurate, will not make sense to most readers. Direct, illustrated examples would have made this part of the book even better.

Why people behave the way they do and resist rational thinking is touched on in the last section of the book. Whether it’s personal bias, religious beliefs, loyalty to one’s political affiliation, or something else, there are a myriad of reasons why people behave irrationally. Moving the people of the world in a more rational direction isn’t going to be easy, as such a high percentage of us have these personal biases and refuse to let them go.

Rational thinking is important. As a society, we would all be better off if people made more rational decisions. Steven Pinker’s book is a good primer on rationality and why it’s so important. There are a few small changes I would make, but this is otherwise an important and valuable book that will benefit most anyone who reads it.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 31, 2022
15 people found this helpful
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Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Um livro brilhante do início ao fim
Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on January 30, 2022
4 people found this helpful
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remnant
4.0 out of 5 stars Great (Price : Rs.440 on 4/5/2023)
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on May 7, 2023
Francis Shaw
3.0 out of 5 stars Just ok for me
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on January 7, 2023
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Ferran Gaya
3.0 out of 5 stars Libro muy especializado
Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on December 23, 2022
Kaspereit
5.0 out of 5 stars Produit endommagé a cause du Amazon
Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on December 12, 2022
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Kaspereit
5.0 out of 5 stars Produit endommagé a cause du Amazon
Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on December 12, 2022
Amazon a envoyé ce livre dans le même colis que du terreau de 6 litres. A cause de cela, mon livre, qui était sensé d'être un cadeau de Noël, n'est pas présentable. Je pars en avion pour Noël alors je n'ai pas le temps de l'échanger avant. Je suis très déçu.
Cinq étoiles car j'adore Pinker et son livre est excellent.
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