Psychologist Steven Pinker (Enlightenment Now; The Sense of Style) takes an unflinching look at rationality--and the lack thereof in the modern world--in Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters. With acerbic wit, Pinker points out that "humans are never so irrational as when protecting their pet ideas," which is inherently problematic, especially in a world divided on politics, vaccines and sundry other things. Far too many people are selfishly protecting their pet theories rather than thinking logically and rationally about best options.
Pinker explores numerous facets of rationality, including correlation and causation, game theory and the sorts of logic puzzles where people generally and instinctively make the wrong choice. He also argues for the importance of using tools for critical thinking: "as excellent as our cognitive systems are, in the modern world we must know when to discount them and turn our reasoning over to instruments--the tools of logic, probability, and critical thinking that extend our powers of reason beyond what nature gave us." The inclination to think on the fly--without using the incredible options available to modern thinkers--can lead to downward spirals of irrationality and self-fulfilling prophecies.
Witty, informative and deeply researched, Rationality is a book for today's society. As Pinker proves, rationality is desperately needed, and humanity must flex its rational muscles in order to make better choices for the future. But Pinker also offers hope: that humans can be empowered to make better choices for the greater good, and that rationality ultimately will win. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Flagstaff, Ariz.