The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't
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- Create Date：2021-05-29 03:18:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Julia Galef
- ISBN：B07RP27XJP
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Reviews
Alex
，
This was fine overall -- reading it shortly after James Clear's "Atomic Habits，" it was striking how similar the approach was （anecdote-driven mix of popular science and self-help， with embedded checklists / tasks for the reader）。 In both cases， prior reading （of the authors' own source material or similar references） somewhat dampened the impact for me。 Presumably much better mileage to be had if this was a reader's introduction to some of these ideas， though， and the core premise of encouragin This was fine overall -- reading it shortly after James Clear's "Atomic Habits，" it was striking how similar the approach was （anecdote-driven mix of popular science and self-help， with embedded checklists / tasks for the reader）。 In both cases， prior reading （of the authors' own source material or similar references） somewhat dampened the impact for me。 Presumably much better mileage to be had if this was a reader's introduction to some of these ideas， though， and the core premise of encouraging "rational thinking" is certainly reasonable。 。。。more
Michael
，
I had listened to a number of podcasts with Galef promoting this book and figured I'd listen to the actual thing。 This book was actually surprisingly great。 It was self-conscious and not dogmatic， it recognized the value and realities of why people aren't always truth seekers， it provided concrete （if relatively banal） exercises and examples to achieve a scout mindset。 For illustration: Galef suggests stepping back and thinking how you would proceed if the status quo was not the status quo。 This I had listened to a number of podcasts with Galef promoting this book and figured I'd listen to the actual thing。 This book was actually surprisingly great。 It was self-conscious and not dogmatic， it recognized the value and realities of why people aren't always truth seekers， it provided concrete （if relatively banal） exercises and examples to achieve a scout mindset。 For illustration: Galef suggests stepping back and thinking how you would proceed if the status quo was not the status quo。 This is a good exercise， one that is often preached by rationalists。 But crucially Galef then points out that switching costs exist， and that a decision needs to be guided both by first principles and by actual real-life pathing （these are my terms）。Personally， in my life I've tried to be a truth seeker， and where I'm not a truth seeker I try to be explicit about it。 For example， I've expressed bafflement （some would say anger） when people at work tell themselves a self-evidently false story about how we feel good even though we missed a target。 They do this in the guise of a soldier mindset to maintain morale， but ultimately it leads to more missed deadlines and targets。 On the other hand， I've tried to be explicit that despite the fact that were I not born an Orthodox Jew I probably wouldn't become an Orthodox Jew， the switching costs are high enough （and the visible set of alternatives not valuable enough） that I'm unlikely to ever reconsider the fundamental beliefs inherent in this belief system。 This， in line with Galef's framing， is an example of recognizing that truth seeking （i。e。 Scout Mindset） is not the end all and be all or even a moral imperative， but rather an admirable and valuable mindset。I think many people would benefit from this book， and if more people had Scout Mindsets the world would probably be a better place。 。。。more
Rick Nonsense
，
might do a longer review on the old substack。 It is analogous to lots of other books。
Hemen Kalita
，
Contrary to common believe， we don't necessarily need to live in positive illusions to be happy， healthy or successful in life。 In fact， the author argues， the opposite is true。 Reasonings based on accuracy， rather than motivated by emotions， lead to better outcomes in personal as well as professional life。However， I do not agree， nor am I convinced， with her conclusion。 While I believe that rationalism or truth seeking leads to a better world， I do not believe it leads to personal well being。 Contrary to common believe， we don't necessarily need to live in positive illusions to be happy， healthy or successful in life。 In fact， the author argues， the opposite is true。 Reasonings based on accuracy， rather than motivated by emotions， lead to better outcomes in personal as well as professional life。However， I do not agree， nor am I convinced， with her conclusion。 While I believe that rationalism or truth seeking leads to a better world， I do not believe it leads to personal well being。 。。。more
Rhys Lindmark
，
I mostly skimmed this， so take my review with a grain of salt。It was actually quite delightful and quick to skim。 Very clear structure， with some nice specific actionable steps to become a better scout。
Charles
，
Could really just call this 'thinking like a 2N。' Could really just call this 'thinking like a 2N。' 。。。more
Robin J
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I had found Julie's Youtube channel a month ago before the book came out。 The scout mindset is great but you also need to abandon the security of the friendly army。 I had found Julie's Youtube channel a month ago before the book came out。 The scout mindset is great but you also need to abandon the security of the friendly army。 。。。more
James Nalley
，
fantastic book from julia galef。 it goes into overcoming bias， learning to have more productive conversations with people you disagree with， and tools to use to curate more accurate beliefs and make better decisions。
Alex Herder
，
Here's a quick definition of the scout mindset from the beginning of the book: the motivation to see things as they are， not as you wish they were。 Scout mindset is what allows you to recognize when you are wrong， to seek out your blind spots， to test your assumptions and change course。 It’s what prompts you to honestly ask yourself questions like “Was I at fault in that argument？” or “Is this risk worth it？” or “How would I react if someone from the other political party did the same thing？” As Here's a quick definition of the scout mindset from the beginning of the book: the motivation to see things as they are， not as you wish they were。 Scout mindset is what allows you to recognize when you are wrong， to seek out your blind spots， to test your assumptions and change course。 It’s what prompts you to honestly ask yourself questions like “Was I at fault in that argument？” or “Is this risk worth it？” or “How would I react if someone from the other political party did the same thing？” As the late physicist Richard Feynman once said， “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool。” For people who don't know， Julia Galef is one of the most visible members of the "rationality community，" an intellectual movement dedicated to the idea of asking questions and being less wrong。 To that end， the scout mindset is really just a rephrasing of the "rationality" discourse。 As someone who follows a lot of the conversation in this corner of the internet and someone who always trying to be less wrong， this book is very much preaching to the choir。Here are some key takeaways:* A soldier mindset， in which we defend a position or idea with which we identify， is common and something all of spend some time in。 It's a good idea to check in with ourselves to make sure we're not in solider mindset as often as we can。* Expressing self doubt or skepticism is good and it needn't reduce the confidence of the people around you if you do it consistently and with an air of social confidence。 This means: Are you at ease in social situations？ Do you act like you deserve to be there， like you’re secure in yourself and your role in the group？ Do you speak as if you’re worth listening to？* Scouts are always looking to improve their map （mental model） and self-deception is a great way to have a crappy map。 You can't make good decisions with a bad map。* A couple of useful ideas for how to practice the scout mindset:Do you try to avoid biasing the information you get？ For example， when you ask your friend to weigh in on a fight you had with your partner， do you describe the disagreement without revealing which side you were on， so as to avoid influencing your friend’s answer？ Try to actually imagine the counterfactual scenario。 Imagine someone else stepped into your shoes—what do you expect they would do in your situation？ If I find myself agreeing with someone else’s viewpoint， I do a conformity test: Imagine this person told me that they no longer held this view。 Would I still hold it？ Would I feel comfortable defending it to them？ * Reminder that our status quo bias is super strong。 We value the pain of loss WAY higher than we value the potential of gain， so if you're really considering a big change you should probably do it。* A good quote from Elon Musk about failure: “Something that can be helpful is fatalism， to some degree。 If you just accept the probabilities， then that diminishes fear。 So in starting SpaceX， I thought the odds of success were less than 10 percent， and I just accepted that probably I would lose everything。”* Another quote I liked: “You want to get into a mental state where if the bad outcome comes to pass， you will only nod your head and say ‘I knew this card was in the deck， and I knew the odds， and I would make the same bets again， given the same opportunities。’”* Whenever you hear "I believe" from yourself or others， note that whatever follows it will be a statement tied to identity。 Identity is a powerful driver of behavior and a regular trigger of a soldier mindset in conversation。Remember， motivated reasoning is universal; if you never notice it， that’s probably not because you’re immune。 。。。more
Nick
，
This is a good and insightful book that is short yet full of good examples about *improving* your interactions with the world， using nudging and habits to keep you there。 Contrasting with the soldier mindset， the scout mindset seems to provide the person with a greater freedom ideaologically and socially， something we should all aspire towards。
Le Theodor Dan
，
An interesting and important concept explained very well。
Erwin Rossen
，
The title is perfect。 I had expected a book how to be a better scout， but it is a book about how to get in the mindset of being a better scout。 Julia Galef illustrates her points with tonnes of anecdotes and snippets from the internet， which wouldn't hold up to make proper rational arguments， but are perfect to illustrate her point and paint the picture。 The title is perfect。 I had expected a book how to be a better scout， but it is a book about how to get in the mindset of being a better scout。 Julia Galef illustrates her points with tonnes of anecdotes and snippets from the internet， which wouldn't hold up to make proper rational arguments， but are perfect to illustrate her point and paint the picture。 。。。more
Popup-ch
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Galef contrasts 'Scout Mindset' to 'Soldier Mindset' （and doesn't seem to notice the inherent contradiction that the original scouts were soldiers）。 The former is taken to mean a curious mindset， where the important goal is to find truth or 'improve one's map of the world'， whereas the latter is a common tendency to protect one's beliefs from any attacks。 What she labels 'Scout Mindset' is a collection of traits， such resistance against bias and avoiding identifying with any fixed group。 All ver Galef contrasts 'Scout Mindset' to 'Soldier Mindset' （and doesn't seem to notice the inherent contradiction that the original scouts were soldiers）。 The former is taken to mean a curious mindset， where the important goal is to find truth or 'improve one's map of the world'， whereas the latter is a common tendency to protect one's beliefs from any attacks。 What she labels 'Scout Mindset' is a collection of traits， such resistance against bias and avoiding identifying with any fixed group。 All very laudable， but not always easy to apply。 。。。more
Paige
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A really great （and practical） introduction to the idea of scout mindset。 My only quibble with this book is that some of the examples seem a bit too esoteric for a mainstream audience。 Would highly recommend to anyone looking to improve their thinking。
Isaac
，
I don't know if I consider myself a "rationalist" or part of the "rationalist" community， but the overall tenet of trying to over come bias and see the world more clearly are very appealing and I find folks from that community like Robin Hanson， Bryan Caplan and Scott Alexander to be some of the most consistently stimulating intellectuals writing today。Basically there was no way i was not going to like this book。 I hadn't heard of Julia Galef prior to her appearance on the Wright Show a few mont I don't know if I consider myself a "rationalist" or part of the "rationalist" community， but the overall tenet of trying to over come bias and see the world more clearly are very appealing and I find folks from that community like Robin Hanson， Bryan Caplan and Scott Alexander to be some of the most consistently stimulating intellectuals writing today。Basically there was no way i was not going to like this book。 I hadn't heard of Julia Galef prior to her appearance on the Wright Show a few months back and she was clearly a part of that rationalist tribe， and I really liked her framing of the scout vs。 soldier mindsets so her book went right on the audible wish list。She briefly outlines her diagnosis; we should not defend our ideas/opinions like soldiers， we should be curious about why people disagree like scouts。 Then spends some time explaining why that scout mindset will help us make better decisions， then most of the book is dedicated to tools to help us move towards a more scout-like mindset like thought experiments， holding your identity lightly， finding people you like/trust who disagree。Some of those tools are more interesting then others， but where this book really shines is in it's use of true stories， little narratives to show them in action。 This book is real short， but it's jam packed with little vignettes of individuals or groups who overcame or pushed back against a soldier mindset with remarkable outcomes。The narratives work especially well given that one of her final tools is to have role models who embody the scout mindset and encourage you to do better。Overall I'm not sure if this book would have been more or less interesting to someone less steeped in the rationalist culture， but if nothing else it struck me as a fresh and considerably better than average self-help book。 。。。more
Quentin Didier
，
One of the best book I've ever read！ This such a practical， hopeful， book。 It's fun to read， with many great stories and is really motivating yet， not overwhelming。You can notice how much Julia has worked on this， probably re-writing it many times to elaborate the best version of every argument。I feel like reading this book makes you both more cheerful and better at thinking and percieving the world， yourself and people you interact with。 And it does so way better than many other things I've rea One of the best book I've ever read！ This such a practical， hopeful， book。 It's fun to read， with many great stories and is really motivating yet， not overwhelming。You can notice how much Julia has worked on this， probably re-writing it many times to elaborate the best version of every argument。I feel like reading this book makes you both more cheerful and better at thinking and percieving the world， yourself and people you interact with。 And it does so way better than many other things I've read on similar subjects， I feel。I'll probably read it again and look forward to talking about it with people dear to me :）Thank you Julia！ 。。。more
José
，
If you enjoyed Galef’s TEDx talk I think you’ll also enjoy her book （and if you haven’t watched it and are wondering if you might want to read this book， go watch it first！） The Scout Mindset seems to be written with urban college-educated young professionals in mind， and the examples and study cases Galef uses seem to have the unifying thread of being data-driven， more or less ‘objective’， discussions in dealing with uncertainty in business， STEM， and political/social activism （which admittedly If you enjoyed Galef’s TEDx talk I think you’ll also enjoy her book （and if you haven’t watched it and are wondering if you might want to read this book， go watch it first！） The Scout Mindset seems to be written with urban college-educated young professionals in mind， and the examples and study cases Galef uses seem to have the unifying thread of being data-driven， more or less ‘objective’， discussions in dealing with uncertainty in business， STEM， and political/social activism （which admittedly might or might not reflect the context of all readers）。 She does make the brief connection between scout and soldier mindsets in interpersonal relationships， but sadly doesn’t really spend as much time delving through them as I was hoping。 That said， I do believe there is something here for everyone， and even though at times it does feel a little self-helpy/motivational， in a similar way to how TED talks often can， in my opinion it is done in a very palatable， entertaining， and lighthearted way。 Most importantly for me， Galef makes a point to be optimistic and encouraging， never talking down at the reader for falling into the pitfalls which she understands are， frustratingly， natural for the way humans ultimately experience and react to the world。 I’ll admit I might be a little more cynical than Galef， but she even had me smiling a few times by the end of the book， genuinely feeling more hopeful at the face of so much of my own muddiness 。。。more
Mike Cheng
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Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias are among the most pervasive impediments to the search for truth， and here podcaster / author Julia Galef suggests that readers adopt a “Scout Mindset” that emphasizes seeing things as they are， not as we wish them to be by: （i） seeking out our own blindspots; （ii） constantly testing our assumptions; and （iii） admitting when we are wrong and changing course。 The idea of the book is solid， but most of the support consists of cherry picked examples， perso Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias are among the most pervasive impediments to the search for truth， and here podcaster / author Julia Galef suggests that readers adopt a “Scout Mindset” that emphasizes seeing things as they are， not as we wish them to be by: （i） seeking out our own blindspots; （ii） constantly testing our assumptions; and （iii） admitting when we are wrong and changing course。 The idea of the book is solid， but most of the support consists of cherry picked examples， personal anecdotes， and Star Trek （？） references。 。。。more
Matthew Jordan
，
I was surprised by how much I loved The Scout Mindset。 I've been following Julia Galef's work for many years， and spent a long time immersed in the literature on rationality， decision-making， and belief formation， so I expected the book to be kind of boring。 Instead， I found it extremely persuasive and even quite moving。 Every page was jam-packed with important ideas， and the examples masterfully supported the main arguments。 It also was never polemical。 Julia Galef does not want you to be on he I was surprised by how much I loved The Scout Mindset。 I've been following Julia Galef's work for many years， and spent a long time immersed in the literature on rationality， decision-making， and belief formation， so I expected the book to be kind of boring。 Instead， I found it extremely persuasive and even quite moving。 Every page was jam-packed with important ideas， and the examples masterfully supported the main arguments。 It also was never polemical。 Julia Galef does not want you to be on her team; she truly just wants you to be intellectually honest and think clearly。 There were a few things I particularly enjoyed about The Scout Mindset。 First was its length。 Books that argue a simple thesis or introduce a concept really don't need to be long。 Second was the lack of jargon。 Most books on rationality talk about "steelmanning" and "Bayesian priors" and "the availability heuristic"—none of that here。 Just solid reasoning and fun examples。Third was the focus on immediate， practical solutions。 While reading the book， I felt a palpable shift in the way I thought about my own reasoning， and a greater willingness to question why I held certain beliefs。 （In particular， I've found it very helpful while navigating my complex feelings about the current iteration of Israeli/Palestinian tensions。） Fourth， it did not rely on psychology studies to make its central points。 Books like Thinking: Fast and Slow， The Righteous Mind， and Predictably Irrational are great， but rely on studies that often don't replicate。 None of that here。 This is a work of philosophy， and almost self-help， that makes a compelling case on its own merits。Finally， I loved that it addressed the relationship between clear thinking and mental health。 Galef acknowledges that the biggest barrier to seeking out feedback is low self-esteem， that overestimating the size of your problems is a central cause of anxiety， and that the research linking accurate self-knowledge with depression is hella spurious。A couple other memorable ideas: - Our language around belief-formation is very war-like: "Knockdown argument"， "conceded the point"， "staunch supporter"， "defending your position"。 This is bad！！ Our view of the world isn't a military stronghold; it's an ever-changing estimate。- No one has ever changed their mind because of antagonism。 If you're being snarky about a viewpoint you don't share， you're declaring "I care about flaunting for my tribe， but don't care about the dumbos who disagree。"- There is a big difference between epistemic confidence （being certain that you're correct） and social confidence （being self-assured and charismatic）。 The most trustworthy people are very socially confident， but often very skeptical of their own ideas。 We should all aim for that！！The book does have its flaws， of course。 Here's one that stood out to me: Julia Galef is deeply immersed in the tech industry， and the examples of careers and contentious topics sometimes feel overly tech-y （Bezos， Musk， entrepreneurs， polyamory， boards of directors， Effective Altruism， etc。）。 I do worry that this might be a turn-off for some listeners/readers。 All in all， this is the single best introductory resource I've come across for starting the never-ending journey of seeking out the truth。 The Scout Mindset is a terrific book， and a model for popular nonfiction。 Concise， persuasive， and intellectually honest。 Highly recommended！！ 。。。more
Rebecca K
，
Useful terminology and constructive framing。
Jeremy Ray
，
The world needs more of this。 Galef has been talking for a while about adopting a "Scout Mindset" vs a "Soldier Mindset" -- that is， seeking out the truth to get as accurate a map of the territory as possible， instead of feeling like you have to stand your ground， defend your views。 An an idea， it's a decent introduction to the rationality/skeptics/truthseeking or whatever-you-want-to-call-it community。It starts with a breakdown of the language we use around arguments and debates， much of which The world needs more of this。 Galef has been talking for a while about adopting a "Scout Mindset" vs a "Soldier Mindset" -- that is， seeking out the truth to get as accurate a map of the territory as possible， instead of feeling like you have to stand your ground， defend your views。 An an idea， it's a decent introduction to the rationality/skeptics/truthseeking or whatever-you-want-to-call-it community。It starts with a breakdown of the language we use around arguments and debates， much of which uses combative terms like "attack" and "defend，" before going into why we naturally gravitate towards the Soldier Mindset without proactive correction。 There are some interesting stories about historical Scouts and Soldiers， and then Galef lists some potential traps to avoid， as well as little nuances about how one talks to oneself that can reveal one's true position。Galef doesn't just run through known biases and fallacies， she offers questions and thought experiments the reader can use to make sure they don't fall into these traps。 I appreciated her going the extra step here。 It'll still be hard to confront one's most ingrained biases and prejudices， but these tools will make them easier to detect， if the effort is put in。In terms of thinking rationally， any one book is "tip of the iceberg，" but I think Galef has done a great job of both providing an introduction and some useful tools for those who wish to do better than what our brains - and the brains of those around us - are capable of achieving on autopilot。 。。。more
Peter
，
An excellent summary of some important ideas。
Jeremy
，
This is a synthesis of a lot of concepts that I was aware of and have read about， indeed the well-read won't find much new here。 Calling her concept "scout mindset" vs。 "soldier mindset" is a cheesy way to refer to these ideas， and seems to be tailor-made ideas to build a book around， but I guess that's what people do。 Among others， Kahneman and Tetlock are well covered in this book。 I don't really mind this as I enjoy being reminded of these concepts periodically。One of the last concepts she co This is a synthesis of a lot of concepts that I was aware of and have read about， indeed the well-read won't find much new here。 Calling her concept "scout mindset" vs。 "soldier mindset" is a cheesy way to refer to these ideas， and seems to be tailor-made ideas to build a book around， but I guess that's what people do。 Among others， Kahneman and Tetlock are well covered in this book。 I don't really mind this as I enjoy being reminded of these concepts periodically。One of the last concepts she covered was one of the best， and that was how common it is for people to wrap their identities up in certain ideologies。 For example， if I self-identify as a Republican or a Democrat， it can lead to discounting any ideas that don't jive with the ideology without really looking for the truth。 This is certainly very common and none of us are immune。 We should perhaps avoid identifying with ideology， rather striving to choose an independent ideology and assessing ideas on their merit， rather than on what someone tells you the merit is。 。。。more
Miguel
，
The primary motivation for reading this was to get a better understanding of Rationalist thinking and figure out why it’s so despised in some circles。 If this book contains the essence of Rationalist thought， then I’m just not really understanding how it can comprise much of a belief system or on the other hand what makes it such a focus of derision。 On the former point it seems to apply some basic principles of ‘rationality’ in an unfortunately named title， while on the latter point the hate se The primary motivation for reading this was to get a better understanding of Rationalist thinking and figure out why it’s so despised in some circles。 If this book contains the essence of Rationalist thought， then I’m just not really understanding how it can comprise much of a belief system or on the other hand what makes it such a focus of derision。 On the former point it seems to apply some basic principles of ‘rationality’ in an unfortunately named title， while on the latter point the hate seems to come as much from the personalities involved （Bay Area tech bros for the most part） as it is to the basic approaches it takes。 The comparison to the ‘Soldier Mindset’ laid out is fairly eye rolling stuff and overall it’s not very thought provoking。 Galef has an OK podcast but was definitely not overly impressed with this。 。。。more
Victor Porras
，
Some of the ideas were very interesting， but I was hoping for something a little more scientific。 This came off a bit like a TED talk or long Atlantic thinkpiece， filled with anecdotes rather than data。 Separately （or perhaps contradictorily）， I thought it was overly earnest and could have used a little more humor。 I enjoyed the self calibration test and the section on identity at the end。
David Montgomery
，
This book deserves five stars， but unfairly I can't give them。 That's because my standard for a five-star nonfiction book is usually* that it transforms how I think about the world — and while I think this book's argument is transformative， it's a transformation I underwent years ago。 I already heartily endorse everything this book argues。 Which means you should definitely read it。But my prior endorsement of this book's arguments are a deeper problem for giving it a five-star review， because "Th This book deserves five stars， but unfairly I can't give them。 That's because my standard for a five-star nonfiction book is usually* that it transforms how I think about the world — and while I think this book's argument is transformative， it's a transformation I underwent years ago。 I already heartily endorse everything this book argues。 Which means you should definitely read it。But my prior endorsement of this book's arguments are a deeper problem for giving it a five-star review， because "The Scout Mindset" is a book arguing that we should be less focused on defending what we already believe， and more open to seeking out new beliefs， in pursuit of ever-greater understanding。 We naturally defend what we like and attack what we don't， and Galef offers practical tips for how to get out of the "soldier mindset，" as well as a range of arguments for why it's desirable to be less defensive and more open-minded。 She's also up-front about her own failings in trying to live up to her own ideal， and how the best we can do is try to be as scout-y as possible。Because I already believed what Galef is arguing， I have had to force myself to step back， to interrogate its arguments closely instead of simply shouting hosannah。 For example， while I heartily endorse what she dubs the "scout mindset，" I think perhaps she goes too far in her polemic — I think everyone should be more scout-y， but that the world might be a worse place if everyone were as scout-y as Galef or myself。 （She considers this argument and offers counters as to how the scout mindset can make someone a better activist， which are only partially convincing。）Interestingly， the one name that never comes up in this book is "Pyrrho，" the classical Greek skeptical philosopher whose movement argued that we could find both knowledge and happiness by resisting dogma， and who offered a range of heuristic tips to avoid slipping in to dogma — a clear predecessor of the "Scout Mindset，" if possibly unknowingly。 I'd also be interested to see Galef engage with John Kay and Mervyn King's recent book Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers， which starts from a similar embrace of the idea of uncertainty but comes to very different （and much less Bayesian） conclusions。 But that's not a knock on this book， which was well-focused on being a practical， popular how-to; such a follow-up discussion might make a good blog post （and indeed I hope to write one myself）。So don't let my rating deceive you: this is a book that everyone interested in clearer thinking should read。* I can also sometimes give five stars to a flawlessly executed work of narrative nonfiction， even if it isn't transformative 。。。more
dey
，
Exactly the lessons I need to hear right now。 So far one of the most satisfying dissections of how identity impact us psychologically and epistemically， and how to better navigate it。
Steve O'neill
，
It's not bad and it's a lot better than 99。9% of self-help books。 I just didn't find it groundbreaking or anything like that。 It's not bad and it's a lot better than 99。9% of self-help books。 I just didn't find it groundbreaking or anything like that。 。。。more
Luke Gompertz
，
Unlike other books on this topic， this book doesn't just tell us how humans are bad at reasoning， it also offers genuine practical steps to help us reason better， and they are compelling enough that I will genuinely try them。 Its central thesis – that we undermine our long-term well-being by not seeking accuracy – is clearly argued。 In fact all the prose is in what Steven Pinker calls 'classic style': plain English that doesn't talk down to you。 Unlike other books on this topic， this book doesn't just tell us how humans are bad at reasoning， it also offers genuine practical steps to help us reason better， and they are compelling enough that I will genuinely try them。 Its central thesis – that we undermine our long-term well-being by not seeking accuracy – is clearly argued。 In fact all the prose is in what Steven Pinker calls 'classic style': plain English that doesn't talk down to you。 。。。more
Janna
，