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Rationality

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker

By Steven Pinker
Read by Arthur Morey

By Steven Pinker
Read by Arthur Morey

By Steven Pinker
Read by Arthur Morey

By Steven Pinker
Read by Arthur Morey

Best Seller
Paperback $18.00

Sep 27, 2022 | ISBN 9780525562016

Large Print $34.00

Nov 16, 2021 | ISBN 9780593460160

Hardcover $32.00

Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9780525561996

Ebook $8.99

Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9780525562009

Audiobook Download $22.50

Sep 28, 2021 | 679 Minutes

CD $40.00

Sep 28, 2021 | 690 Minutes

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    Rationality by Steven Pinker
    Paperback $18.00
    Sep 27, 2022 | ISBN 9780525562016

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    • Paperback $18.00

      Sep 27, 2022 | ISBN 9780525562016

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Large Print $34.00

      Nov 16, 2021 | ISBN 9780593460160

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Hardcover
    +
    • Hardcover $32.00

      Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9780525561996

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook
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    • Ebook

      Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9780525562009

      Buy from Other Retailers:

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    • Audiobook Download

      Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9781984843555

      679 Minutes

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    • CD $40.00

      Sep 28, 2021 | ISBN 9781984843548

      690 Minutes

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    About Rationality

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity.” – New York Times

    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.

    About Rationality

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity.” – New York Times

    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.

    About Rationality

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity.” – New York Times

    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.

    About Rationality

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity.” – New York Times

    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.

    About Rationality

    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.

    About Rationality

    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.

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    Listen to a sample from Rationality

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    Also by Steven Pinker

    Enlightenment Now
    The Sense of Style
    The Better Angels of Our Nature
    The Stuff of Thought
    The Blank Slate
    See all books by Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    About Steven Pinker

    Steven Pinker is the Harvard College 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 named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign… More about Steven Pinker

    Product Details

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology

    Paperback | $18.00
    Published by Penguin Books
    Sep 27, 2022 | 432 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-7/16 | ISBN 9780525562016

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology

    Large Print | $34.00
    Published by Random House Large Print
    Nov 16, 2021 | 624 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9780593460160

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology

    Hardcover | $32.00
    Published by Viking
    Sep 28, 2021 | 432 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780525561996

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology

    Ebook | $8.99
    Published by Penguin Books
    Sep 28, 2021 | 432 Pages | ISBN 9780525562009

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $22.50
    Published by Penguin Audio
    Sep 28, 2021 | 679 Minutes | ISBN 9781984843555

    Category: Psychology | Science & Technology | Audiobooks

    CD | $40.00
    Published by Penguin Audio
    Sep 28, 2021 | 690 Minutes | ISBN 9781984843548

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    Praise

    “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

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