Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters ~ SIGNED FIRST/FIRST
by Pinker, Steven
- New
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- New/New
- ISBN 10
- 0525561994
- ISBN 13
- 9780525561996
- Seller
-
Daphne, Alabama, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
SCARCE SIGNED! FIRST EDITION, first printing STATED. Book is brand new and unread. Personally hand signed to publisher's bookplate affixed to ffep. Dust jacket hand covered in protective archival grade Mylar for many worry free years of reading/collecting! Photos available upon request.
"In our uncertain age, which can so often feel so dark and disturbing, Steven Pinker has distinguished himself as a voice of positivity." – New York Times
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's "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.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Books On The Boulevard (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 788
- Title
- Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters ~ SIGNED FIRST/FIRST
- Author
- Pinker, Steven
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Hardcover Signed
- ISBN 10
- 0525561994
- ISBN 13
- 9780525561996
- Publisher
- Viking
- Date Published
- 2021
- Keywords
- signed; collectible; autographed, enlightenment now, science, scientist, reasoning, fake news, corona
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About the Seller
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- FFEP
- A common abbreviation for Front Free End Paper. Generally, it is the first page of a book and is part of a single sheet that...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...