Rationality
What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
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Rationality
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Steven Pinker
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Can reading a book make you more rational? Can it help you understand why there is so much irrationality in the world? These are the goals of Rationality, Steven Pinker's follow-up to Enlightenment Now.
In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and, at the same time, 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, quack cures and conspiracy theorising?
Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are an irrational species - 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 the benchmarks for rationality itself. Instead, he explains that we 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 have built up over the millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, correlation and causation and decision-making. These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula 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 by individuals 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 insight and humour, Rationality will enlighten, inspire and empower.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Steven Pinker (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Rationality
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- DJ Ricks
- 14-12-21
Good book
A good book in general but don't listen to half awake! This book needs some serious concentration and for some of it a PDF to go though a long with the book. Not really one for the car but maybe some quite time and deep thinking. Great book just maybe not quite one 100% for me and my circumstances! Just maybe the voice acting could have been a little more upbeat to help with keeping me engaged but the overall concept, content and layout of the book was extremely good.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul La Femina
- 07-12-21
rational!
An excellent book well read that should be understood as best as possible by everyone.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 07-02-24
A masterpiece
Well, this is Pinker - which means well thought, well written, well questioned.
This is the second book I got about it. The first I read and this one I heard. Both you have to concentrate and struggle. He is quite clear, but the subjects are complex. Beware this is a book which multitasking while listening is not possible if you want to learn. You may struggle, but it totally worths.
Narrator keeps up with the flow and how ideas are posed. Great professional.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lara Reusch
- 11-10-21
Rationality
Classic Pinker. Illuminating, insightful, refreshing, fun. Brought to life with another brilliant performance by Arthur Morey.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mike GMT
- 10-07-24
It is a rewarding reading
I have listened twice so far in order to take in everything that was said. I loved it. Would it make you more rational?
Debatable.
However I have become aware of my biases and more susceptible to false logic.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Robert
- 17-11-21
Falls short but still a good book
Some of his arguments are quite weak, especially when he ventured into the topic of morality. I think he’s quite soft on the religious argument and gives religion too much credit that it doesn’t deserve.
However he does provide some good explanation of more common reasoning errors.
He also makes the point about the left/right being in a battle for moral superiority and ignoring reason placing ideology first.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-06-22
Brilliant as usual
First and last two chapters are the most accessible and entertaining. Middle ones will take longer to digest completely. Improves on listening a second time as so much is said here worth listening to well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Frank
- 27-08-22
Good but maybe better read than heard.
Not Pinker's most engaging work but valuable stuff. Too complex I think for audio book.
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- Jj
- 01-02-24
everyone should read and understand this
like the title says, everyone should. it's up to us as people to change the world into a better one for everyone not to make ourselves wealthier than everyone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-12-21
Hard but good
Lots of hard stuff in here which doesn't lend itself to the format. But interesting nonetheless.
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