Rationality: What is it, why do we lack it, and why is it important

Can a book make a person more rational? Can it help us understand why there is so much irrationality around us? Steven Pinker, author of the bestseller «Enlightenment Now» (which Bill Gates called «his new favorite book of all time»), answers these questions.
Right now, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding — and at the same time, it seems to be gradually going insane. Why is a species that developed vaccines against COVID in less than a year mired in fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theories? Pinker immediately rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply irrational — that we are eternal troglodytes, ready to react to a lion in the grass with a heap of prejudices, blind spots, false conclusions, and illusions. After all, we have managed to uncover the laws of nature, transform the planet, prolong and enrich our own lives, and, not least, establish the rules of rationality. In fact, our minds are not adapted solely to the Pleistocene savannah. They function well everywhere that scientific or technological questions are not being resolved, and people rarely encounter something like that. But, unfortunately, they do not know how to fully utilize the tools of knowledge that they themselves developed over the millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability theory, concepts of correlation and causation, as well as optimal ways to refine opinions and implement decisions, both individually and collectively. These tools are not taught within typical educational programs, and until now, they have never been explained comprehensively in a single book.
«Rationality» also explores its opposite: how the pursuit of personal interests, group solidarity, and mythologies designed to unite people lead to paralyzing societal irrationality. Collective rationality is impossible without norms deliberately created to encourage objectivity and uphold truth.
Rationality is important. It helps us make the right choices both at the individual level and at the societal level, and ultimately it is the root cause of social justice and moral progress. Infused with Pinker's characteristic insight and humor, «Rationality» enlightens, inspires, and comforts.