Dec 21, 2021
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 to his
book 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 also produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and
conspiracy theorizing? 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 discovered 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 our best thinkers
have discovered over the millennia. Brimming with insight and
humor, Rationality will enlighten, inspire, and empower.
Moderated by Googler Brian Welle.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.