Rationality, Steven Pinker

 

Rationality:  What it is, why it seems scarce, why it matters by Steven Pinker is an effort by a Harvard cognitive psychologist to understand rationality.

Started: 12/25/2021
Completed: 1/1/2022
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

Waving a bloody shirt -- a pejorative phrase, used during American election campaigns in the 19th century, to deride opposing politicians who made emotional calls to avenge the blood of soldiers that died in the Civil War.

Review:

So this is a review of a lot of material that I have read elsewhere (Kahneman's studies and the work of Freakanomics).  It is also a review of concepts that I understand fairly well (basic statistics, logics, and Bayesian probabilities).  It is nicely packaged, however, and there are fantastic anomalies and descriptions that help illustrate the points well.  Beware, however, if you are religious or a support of Homeopathy.