Indexed episode5 source moments

Modern WisdomJan 20, 2022

#424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational

Summary, books mentioned, source context, and timestamps for #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational on Modern Wisdom.

Guest

Steven Pinker

Books mentioned

Algorithms to Live By The Bias That Divides Us Rationality+1 more

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#424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational includes mentions of Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian, The Bias That Divides Us by Keith Stanovich, Rationality, and The Psychology of Common Knowledge by Steven Pinker, with indexed source context and timestamps where available.

Algorithms to Live By The Bias That Divides Us Rationality The Psychology of Common Knowledge

3 books from this episode

Algorithms to Live By

Brian Christian

Indexed context: The host discusses the importance of agency in decision-making and references 'Algorithms to Live By' to illustrate how mathematical principles can g…

The Bias That Divides Us

Keith Stanovich

Indexed context: The host discusses the insights from Keith Stanovich's book, highlighting how biases affect even intelligent individuals. The conversation emphasizes…

Rationality

Indexed context: The host discusses the complexities of rational thinking and the role of cognitive biases in decision-making. They reference the book 'Rationality' t…

Guest: Steven Pinker

Episode summary

Steven Pinker is a Cognitive Psychologist at Harvard University, a psycholinguist and a Best Selling Author. It would be nice to always make the right decision. To escape the prison of human emotions and biases and operate from a purely rational place. Steven's new book breaks down rationality into it's components in an attempt to understand just what we're all missing from our mental makeup. Expect to learn why betting websites are the most accurate forecasters of the future, why learning lists of cognitive biases won't always make you more effective, whether smart people are more or less rational on average, whether politics makes you dumber, how to balance rationality with a desire to be intuitive and present and much more...

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Algorithms to Live By

Brian Christian

The host discusses the importance of agency in decision-making and references 'Algorithms to Live By' to illustrate h…

Card

The Bias That Divides Us

Keith Stanovich

The host discusses the insights from Keith Stanovich's book, highlighting how biases affect even intelligent individu…

Card

Rationality

The host discusses the complexities of rational thinking and the role of cognitive biases in decision-making. They re…

Card

The Psychology of Common Knowledge

Steven Pinker

The host mentions Steven Pinker's book to highlight the complexities of trust and knowledge in societal institutions.…

Card

Everybody Lies

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

The host mentions 'Everybody Lies' in the context of discussing how people's beliefs about fate can impact their deci…

Card

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What is #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational about?

Summary, books mentioned, source context, and timestamps for #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational on Modern Wisdom.

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What are the main takeaways from #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational?

These themes are drawn from the indexed episode description and linked mentions for #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational.

The conversation centers on cognitive biases and rationality.
A second recurring theme is decision making and agency.
Referenced books include Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and The Bias That Divides Us by Keith Stanovich.
Related interests include Individuals interested in decision-making strategies and personal development. and Individuals interested in psychology and improving their reasoning skills.

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Which books are mentioned in #424 - Steven Pinker - The Problem With Trying To Be Rational?

Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian, The Bias That Divides Us by Keith Stanovich, and Rationality are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to source cards and timestamps where available.

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Topics

cognitive biases and rationality(2)decision making and agency(2)trust in institutions(1)

Mention types

Deep Dive(3)Passing Reference(2)

Related interests

Individuals interested in decision-making strategies and personal development.Individuals interested in psychology and improving their reasoning skillsIndividuals interested in psychology and decision-makingIndividuals interested in psychology and societal trust dynamics

Books Mentioned

The full list below is ranked by how useful each mention is to a listener: stronger recommendation language, clearer source context, and better timestamp support rise first.

Algorithms to Live By

Brian Christian

Best for Individuals interested in decision-making strategies and personal development.Often cited around decision making and agency

Indexed context

The discussion revolves around the book 'Algorithms to Live By', which presents a method for making decisions, particularly in choosing a partner based on dating strategies.

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: decision making and agency

For: Individuals interested in decision-making strategies and personal development.

Indexed context: Algorithms to Live By has a really funny way of how you should pick your partner.

The host discusses the importance of agency in decision-making and references 'Algorithms to Live By' to illustrate how mathematical principles can guide personal choices. The book provides a framework for making optimal decisions while balancing the costs of reasoning and inaction.

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The Bias That Divides Us

Keith Stanovich

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and improving their reasoning skillsOften cited around cognitive biases and rationality

Indexed context

Keith Stanovich discusses cognitive biases and introduces the concept of an irrationality quotient as a complement to the intelligence quotient.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: cognitive biases and rationality

For: Individuals interested in psychology and improving their reasoning skills

Indexed context: This is one of the conclusions from Keith Stanovich in his book, The Bias That Divides Us.

The host discusses the insights from Keith Stanovich's book, highlighting how biases affect even intelligent individuals. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing these biases to improve rational thinking and decision-making.

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Rationality

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and decision-makingOften cited around cognitive biases and rationality

Indexed context

The speaker mentions a chapter in their book, Rationality, discussing measuring risk and reward through expected utility theory.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: cognitive biases and rationality

For: Individuals interested in psychology and decision-making

Indexed context: So applying the average to myself, I would think so on average, I would hope so.

The host discusses the complexities of rational thinking and the role of cognitive biases in decision-making. They reference the book 'Rationality' to emphasize the importance of understanding these biases to improve reasoning skills.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Check price

The Psychology of Common Knowledge

Steven Pinker

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and societal trust dynamicsOften cited around trust in institutions

Indexed context

Steven Pinker discusses his upcoming book, which explores the psychology of common knowledge and its implications in various phenomena.

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Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: trust in institutions

For: Individuals interested in psychology and societal trust dynamics

Indexed context: Well, I have for a number of years been working on the psychology of common knowledge in the technical sense of I know something.

The host mentions Steven Pinker's book to highlight the complexities of trust and knowledge in societal institutions. Pinker's exploration of common knowledge provides insight into how public perception is shaped by shared understanding.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Check price

Everybody Lies

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Best for Individuals interested in psychology and decision-makingOften cited around decision making and agency

Indexed context

The speaker mentions 'Everybody Lies', a book for which he wrote a foreword, in the context of discussing decision-making and data interpretation.

View mention details

Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: decision making and agency

For: Individuals interested in psychology and decision-making

Indexed context: He did write a book that for which I wrote a foreword called Everybody Lies.

The host mentions 'Everybody Lies' in the context of discussing how people's beliefs about fate can impact their decision-making processes. This book is referenced as a work that explores the complexities of human behavior and decision-making.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

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Book picks by email

Get more book picks with podcast context.

Algorithms to Live By

Modern Wisdom · 30:48

Indexed context: The host discusses the importance of agency in decision-making and references 'Algorithms to Live By' to illustrate how mathematical principles can g…

The Bias That Divides Us

Modern Wisdom · 4:15

Indexed context: The host discusses the insights from Keith Stanovich's book, highlighting how biases affect even intelligent individuals. The conversation emphasizes…

Rationality

Modern Wisdom · 18:49

Indexed context: The host discusses the complexities of rational thinking and the role of cognitive biases in decision-making. They reference the book 'Rationality' t…

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