Thinking Rationally in an Irrational World PDF Download

Author: Alex Burdeshaw
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 148346556X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Book Description
Have you ever been involved in a contentious, fruitless discussion about politics, science, or current events with a coworker, friend, or family member? Thinking Rationally in an Irrational World, by author Alex Burdeshaw, explores why those conversations get so contentious, and he offers easily applicable ways to make such talks less tense and more fruitful for everyone involved. Burdeshaw discusses the major factors that exacerbate a person's lack of rational, critical thinking skills. He offers a variety of culprits, including the flawed education system, poor dietary and exercise habits, the hyperpolarization and groupthink mentalities of the media, and the collective lack of well-trained interpersonal skills. In Thinking Rationally in an Irrational World, Burdeshaw proposes possible solutions to combat each of these identified areas.

Author: Alex Burdeshaw
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1483465543
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 109

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Book Description
Have you ever been involved in a contentious, fruitless discussion about politics, science, or current events with a coworker, friend, or family member? Thinking Rationally in an Irrational World, by author Alex Burdeshaw, explores why those conversations get so contentious, and he offers easily applicable ways to make such talks less tense and more fruitful for everyone involved. Burdeshaw discusses the major factors that exacerbate a person's lack of rational, critical thinking skills. He offers a variety of culprits, including the flawed education system, poor dietary and exercise habits, the hyperpolarization and groupthink mentalities of the media, and the collective lack of well-trained interpersonal skills. In Thinking Rationally in an Irrational World, Burdeshaw proposes possible solutions to combat each of these identified areas.

Author: Tim Harford
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812977874
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany altar? Thorny questions–and you might be surprised to hear the answers coming from an economist. But award-winning journalist Tim Harford likes to spring surprises. In this deftly reasoned book, he argues that life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work, and Harford shows these incentives emerging in the most unlikely places.

Author: Gerd Gigerenzer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195153729
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Where do new ideas come from? What is social intelligence? Why do social scientists perform mindless statistical rituals? This vital book is about rethinking rationality as adaptive thinking: to understand how minds cope with their environments, both ecological and social.Gerd Gigerenzer proposes and illustrates a bold new research program that investigates the psychology of rationality, introducing the concepts of ecological, bounded, and social rationality. His path-breaking collection takes research on thinking, social intelligence, creativity, and decision-making out of an ethereal world where the laws of logic and probability reign, and places it into our real world of human behavior and interaction. Adaptive Thinking is accessibly written for general readers with an interest in psychology, cognitive science, economics, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and animal behavior. It also teaches a practical audience, such as physicians, AIDS counselors, and experts in criminal law, how to understand and communicate uncertainties and risks.

Author: Reid Hastie
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1412959039
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
In the Second Edition of Rational Choice in an Uncertain World the authors compare the basic principles of rationality with actual behaviour in making decisions. They describe theories and research findings from the field of judgment and decision making in a non-technical manner, using anecdotes as a teaching device. Intended as an introductory textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, the material not only is of scholarly interest but is practical as well. The Second Edition includes: - more coverage on the role of emotions, happiness, and general well-being in decisions - a summary of the new research on the neuroscience of decision processes - more discussion of the adaptive value of (non-rational heuristics) - expansion of the graphics for decision trees, probability trees, and Venn diagrams.

Author: Julian Baggini
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300222084
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
An urgent defense of reason, the essential method for resolving—or even discussing—divisive issues: “A timely masterpiece.”—Patricia S. Churchland, author of Touching a Nerve Reason, long held as the highest human achievement, is under siege. According to Aristotle, the capacity for reason sets us apart from other animals, yet today it has ceased to be a universally admired faculty. Rationality and reason have become political, disputed concepts, subject to easy dismissal. Julian Baggini argues eloquently that we must recover our reason and reassess its proper place, neither too highly exalted nor completely maligned. Rationality does not require a cold, sterile worldview—it simply involves the application of critical thinking wherever thinking is needed. Addressing such major areas of debate as religion, science, politics, psychology, and economics, the author calls for commitment to the notion of a “community of reason,” where disagreements are settled by debate and discussion, not brute force or political power. Baggini’s insightful book celebrates the power of reason, our best hope—indeed our only hope—for dealing with the intractable quagmires of our time. “The toxic gloating of ‘gut feelings,’ hateful politics and heart-over-head attacks on good sense urgently need an antidote. Baggini has risen to the occasion…compelling.”—Patricia S. Churchland, author of Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition

Author: Steven Pinker
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241380308
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 'Punchy, funny and invigorating ... Pinker is the high priest of rationalism' Sunday Times 'If you've ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read Rationality instead. It's cheaper, more entertaining, and more effective' Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind In the twenty-first 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 discovered vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theorizing? In Rationality, Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply an irrational species - cavemen out of time fatally cursed 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, we think in ways that suit 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 millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, causal inference, and decision-making under uncertainty. 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 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. 'A terrific book, much-needed for our time' Peter Singer

Author: Justin E. H. Smith
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691210519
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
"What every leader needs to know about dignity and how to create a culture in which everyone thrives. This landmark book from an expert in dignity studies explores the essential but under-recognized role of dignity as part of good leadership. Extending the reach of her award-winning book Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict, Donna Hicks now contributes a specific, practical guide to achieving a culture of dignity. Most people know very little about dignity, the author has found, and when leaders fail to respect the dignity of others, conflict and distrust ensue. She highlights three components of leading with dignity: what one must know in order to honor dignity and avoid violating it; what one must do to lead with dignity; and how one can create a culture of dignity in any organization, whether corporate, religious, governmental, healthcare, or beyond. Brimming with key research findings, real-life case studies, and workable recommendations, this book fills an important gap in our understanding of how best to be together in a conflict-ridden world."--

Author: Robyn Dawes
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429980310
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
Robyn Dawes defines irrationality as adhering to beliefs that are inherently self-contradictory, not just incorrect, self-defeating, or the basis of poor decisions. Such beliefs are unfortunately common. This book demonstrates how such irrationality results from ignoring obvious comparisons, while instead falling into associational and story-based thinking. Strong emotion—or even insanity—is one reason for making automatic associations without comparison, but as the author demonstrates, a lot of everyday judgment, unsupported professional claims, and even social policy is based on the same kind of "everyday" irrationality.

Author: Erwann Michel-Kerjan
Publisher: Public Affairs
ISBN: 1586487809
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
The authors explore how discoveries in decision sciences will enhance traditional ideas about economics and challenges the conventional wisdom about how to make the right decisions in an emerging new era, in a book that includes informative charts.