Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters Hardcover – September 28, 2021

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.

Rationality by Steven Pinker is one of those must-read books that is as relevant today as it was 10 years ago and will be 10 years from now. It talk about principles that every adult should know but unfortunately they don't get taught at school in an organized manner. This book shouldn't be viewed as a "liberal" book which I'm afraid happens too much these days, even books are polarized for some reason. It's a book about how we should aim to think if we want to live a reasonable life. I would frame the book as the next step to the much-loved and appreciated book "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman, one of my favourite living scientists. His book changed how we think about human thinking and this books develops on it. It covers a broader range of concepts that we use in daily life from Probability vs Propensity, Randomness, Risk vs Reward, exponential growth, utility theory, game theory, correlation vs causation, rationality in Social Justice and so on. I must say it's an impressive range of ideas in one book but it makes sense to read about all this in one place as these topics are very linked but we often only read about discreet pieces as they cut through a broad range of science fields. He starts by arguing that human beings are not simply "irrational" by evolution. It goes into details on what Rationality means, how it's different and more ecological than from logic or theoretical reason, how our common sense in-built into us through millenia of living with other people relies on rationality and how important it is to our daily lives beyond our divides and cliques.I think what's good about Pinker's books is that he is not afraid to take a stance and it means he is ok with critics talking about what he might've got wrong, he doesn't claim to get it all right, the book says on several occasions that rationality in the end is an unreachable ideal but the more people work collectively towards it, the better chance society has to find it.I'm sure religious people will have objections to this book as Pinker is a staunch atheist and has come across as too hard-headed on this topic in his previous books talking about religion's history with violence. Again, the idea is to keep an open mind and use the book as a tool to expand our understanding of the world. Five stars!

I feel a mix of understanding and confusion when I read Pinker. His topics are engaging and rich. His messaging is on a spectrum of profound and overwhelming. I feel I love the messages in his thoughts that come through in the topics he writes about. I feel I dislike his complex style of communicating some points. Mostly because I have to admit it's above my understanding.I found the beginning and end engaging, and the middle overly hard to understand because it's laden with logic and statistics as well as words such as 'laden' used when a simpler word like 'common' works the same.This book inspired me to invite Jasmine Crockett to speak about rationality on Juneteenth because of the message, the need for appropriate spokespeople, and the current assault on truth by the current US administration.I loved the content about progress. Please read this book if this review resonates with you.