I've been a Superfan of the author for several months now, so don't call me unbiased. How Superfan? I had the author read me her book while I drove cross-country, and I LIVE-TWEETED my real-time reactions. (Amazon won't let me link to the thread, but you can find it if you're clever.)
I have always considered myself a "Scout", but I didn't have a word for it. That's one of the most valuable gifts of the author: attaching words and concrete examples to concepts I've only known intuitively. Since I consider myself "there" already, I wouldn't say this book changed my thinking or behavior, but it gave me lots of new tools for my toolbox.
The most powerful tool is the title. The term "soldier mindset" predates the author, but Scout Mindset is the author's own creation. It describes a role in life: that of a military scout who goes out into the world to discover how it actually is. A soldier believes what they need to believe to defend themselves and their tribe, but the Scout is concerned with objective truth. How many troops does the enemy have? Where are the bridges and barriers? For the ultimate benefit of themselves and their tribe, the Scout needs to know what's actually out there, even if it is injurious to their ego and personal investments in the short term.
In my live-stream, I have plenty of minor criticisms, but they are presented in the spirit of the Scout. I think the author should have steered clear of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as examples, as the jury is still out on their legacy. Including them with the likes of Darwin, Chesterton and Picquart risks turning an otherwise timeless work into a perishable one. There is also a FACTUAL ERROR concerning chickens, which I'll leave to other readers to discern. Knowing the author, she will be not doubt be mortified by the gaff, but learning to be wrong is what this book is all about.
In the penultimate chapter, we learn that the author is betrothed. My gut reaction is the crushing sorrow of the 1960s schoolgirl learning that Paul and Ringo already have girlfriends, but the Scout in me sees other problems. How does the author square a "forever" commitment with the preservation of a Scout's objectivity? When you take a vow before family and friends, aren't you explicitly declaring your soldier mindset? "Worked just fine for the past 10 years" is worlds away from "I'm sure it will work forever."
This makes me realize the most serious omission in the book: There is almost no discussion of relationships. Surely, there is no greater pressure for soldier mindset than in defense of ones family and romantic partner. Marriage alone deserves a chapter—or maybe five. The author describes people caught in cult-like business ventures, but what about cult-like relationships? Isn't EVERY romantic relationship cult-like? How do you retain a Scout's perspective on it?
This book seems complete in describing the Scout/Soldier dilemma external to the household but hardly touches on conflicts within it. How can a parent NOT be a soldier when defending their child, regardless of what they have done? How can they not defend their spouse? It's hard enough to manage the pressures of your own ego, let along the ego of someone you are tethered to, over whom you have only a modicum of control.
Rather than dwell on the absences in this book, I prefer to see it as "Volume 1". Volume 2 should start with that declaration of marriage, difficult to revoke now that it has been set in print. This is part of a bigger topic that the author only touches on in this volume: How do to design your future life so that you can continue to afford a Scout's perspective? Surrounding yourself with open-minded people is a good start. We can call it ones "congregation". Joining a warm congregation is gratifying enough. The dilemmas only come later. How far will you go to defend your congregation when your core beliefs begin to diverge?
Most humans don't have any such conflicts—because they're soldiers. The functional benefit of soldier mindset is to paper over any hypocrisies and inconsistencies in ones life, while Scouts are forced to face them head-on.
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Popular Highlights in this book
In scout mindset, there’s no such thing as a “threat” to your beliefs. If you find out you were wrong about something, great—you’ve improved your map, and that can only help you.Highlighted by 1,178 Kindle readers- Being in scout mindset means wanting your “map”—your perception of yourself and the world—to be as accurate as possible.Highlighted by 1,081 Kindle readers
- If directionally motivated reasoning is like being a soldier fighting off threatening evidence, accuracy motivated reasoning is like being a scout forming a map of the strategic landscape.Highlighted by 784 Kindle readers
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highly recommend
thoughtfully written, well researched, and difficult to put down (i had to switch from reading it before bed to lunch breaks). cant wait to read what comes next! as a fan of 'rationally speaking', this book was a must for me - but my partner who isn't a listener was also sucked in right away so it definitely appeals to a wider audience.
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Tobi
Very well writen and eye opening book
Reviewed in Germany on February 21, 2022