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

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 1,951 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 02-26-2025


About this item

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’ "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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Alex Covtun
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Deep Dive into the Nature and Importance of Rationality
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
    In this enlightening book, Steven Pinker explores the concept of rationality, delving into why it is crucial for personal and societal progress and why it often appears to be lacking in modern discourse. Pinker draws on a wide range of examples from science, history, and current events to illustrate how rational thinking can help us navigate the complexities of the world. He also addresses the factors that contribute to irrationality and the consequences of neglecting reason.

    The most appealing part of this book was Pinker’s ability to make complex ideas accessible and engaging. He not only provides a thorough understanding of rationality but also offers practical insights into how we can cultivate more rational thinking in our lives and societies.

    Rationality is a must-read for anyone interested in improving their critical thinking, understanding human behavior, and navigating the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
    Customer image
    Alex Covtun
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    A Deep Dive into the Nature and Importance of Rationality

    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
    In this enlightening book, Steven Pinker explores the concept of rationality, delving into why it is crucial for personal and societal progress and why it often appears to be lacking in modern discourse. Pinker draws on a wide range of examples from science, history, and current events to illustrate how rational thinking can help us navigate the complexities of the world. He also addresses the factors that contribute to irrationality and the consequences of neglecting reason.

    The most appealing part of this book was Pinker’s ability to make complex ideas accessible and engaging. He not only provides a thorough understanding of rationality but also offers practical insights into how we can cultivate more rational thinking in our lives and societies.

    Rationality is a must-read for anyone interested in improving their critical thinking, understanding human behavior, and navigating the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
    Images in this review
  • Paradigm277
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great one
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2021
    Pinker's Better Angles of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now are my favorite books of all time for many reasons. They're the most sensible, edifying, inspiring, sprawling, rich, useful works I've ever read. Finally someone of high visibility put the importance of the Enlightenment front and center. "Rationality" isn't quite on that level but it's still up there. There is the typical clear, lucid, informative prose packed with sense and facts that is at times soaring and poetical.

    Critical thinking should be basic education and this would be a good handbook. The middle part gets slightly too technical and uninteresting but this is minimal. I do wish the last part of the book on morality focused more on what the foundations of mortality are, which rationality recognizes and builds upon: the unavoidable fact of our nature as empathetic, intetconnected creatures (Pinker explores this well elsewhere).

    I'd say, especially at the current moment, this, along with Rauch's "The Constitution of Knowledge", would be important gifts for anyone one might think is need of reading them.
  • Bryan Carey
    4.0 out of 5 stars Rational Thinking and Why it is so Important
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
    Rationality, the use of reason, and the thought processes that relate to them seem to be in short supply. With advances in science and other breakthroughs, rational thinking should be at an all- time high, but it is not. The problems with human thinking and bias and the different reasons why rationality is not used as much as it should is the basis of this book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.

    This book covers many pieces of the rational thinking puzzle, explaining what it is, what it is not, and why it is so seemingly difficult for some people to grasp. Sections of the book discuss such topics as critical thinking, logic, correlation and causation, game theory, and much more.

    Probably the most valuable parts of this book are the ones on risk/reward and the section that covers the understanding and interpretation of probabilities. With risk and reward, one doesn’t have to look around or search for very long to see all the ways that humans behave irrationally. One example the book mentions is the tendency of people to purchase costly extended warranties that will likely never be used or, if they are used, will not be worth the price paid. Another is the understanding of percentage chance and what it really means. How many people do you know who think if the weather forecast is 51% or better chance for rain that it absolutely will rain, or 49% or worse that it won’t rain? These interpretations, and others like them, are irrational yet we see and hear them regularly.

    My personal favorite part of the book is the section that discusses probabilities. Humans have a very poor understanding of how probabilities work and this makes it easy for politicians, business leaders, and others to manipulate data. My only issue with this part of the book is that it doesn’t offer enough examples. Getting people to understand how probability works isn’t easy and some of the book’s explanations, while accurate, will not make sense to most readers. Direct, illustrated examples would have made this part of the book even better.

    Why people behave the way they do and resist rational thinking is touched on in the last section of the book. Whether it’s personal bias, religious beliefs, loyalty to one’s political affiliation, or something else, there are a myriad of reasons why people behave irrationally. Moving the people of the world in a more rational direction isn’t going to be easy, as such a high percentage of us have these personal biases and refuse to let them go.

    Rational thinking is important. As a society, we would all be better off if people made more rational decisions. Steven Pinker’s book is a good primer on rationality and why it’s so important. There are a few small changes I would make, but this is otherwise an important and valuable book that will benefit most anyone who reads it.
    Customer image
    Bryan Carey
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Rational Thinking and Why it is so Important

    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
    Rationality, the use of reason, and the thought processes that relate to them seem to be in short supply. With advances in science and other breakthroughs, rational thinking should be at an all- time high, but it is not. The problems with human thinking and bias and the different reasons why rationality is not used as much as it should is the basis of this book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.

    This book covers many pieces of the rational thinking puzzle, explaining what it is, what it is not, and why it is so seemingly difficult for some people to grasp. Sections of the book discuss such topics as critical thinking, logic, correlation and causation, game theory, and much more.

    Probably the most valuable parts of this book are the ones on risk/reward and the section that covers the understanding and interpretation of probabilities. With risk and reward, one doesn’t have to look around or search for very long to see all the ways that humans behave irrationally. One example the book mentions is the tendency of people to purchase costly extended warranties that will likely never be used or, if they are used, will not be worth the price paid. Another is the understanding of percentage chance and what it really means. How many people do you know who think if the weather forecast is 51% or better chance for rain that it absolutely will rain, or 49% or worse that it won’t rain? These interpretations, and others like them, are irrational yet we see and hear them regularly.

    My personal favorite part of the book is the section that discusses probabilities. Humans have a very poor understanding of how probabilities work and this makes it easy for politicians, business leaders, and others to manipulate data. My only issue with this part of the book is that it doesn’t offer enough examples. Getting people to understand how probability works isn’t easy and some of the book’s explanations, while accurate, will not make sense to most readers. Direct, illustrated examples would have made this part of the book even better.

    Why people behave the way they do and resist rational thinking is touched on in the last section of the book. Whether it’s personal bias, religious beliefs, loyalty to one’s political affiliation, or something else, there are a myriad of reasons why people behave irrationally. Moving the people of the world in a more rational direction isn’t going to be easy, as such a high percentage of us have these personal biases and refuse to let them go.

    Rational thinking is important. As a society, we would all be better off if people made more rational decisions. Steven Pinker’s book is a good primer on rationality and why it’s so important. There are a few small changes I would make, but this is otherwise an important and valuable book that will benefit most anyone who reads it.
    Images in this review

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