Orem Library

"Humans today are often portrayed as cavemen out of time, poised to react to a lion in the grass with a suite of biases, blind spots, fallacies, and illusions. But this, Pinker a cognitive scientist and rational optimist argues, cannot be the whole picture. Hunter-gatherers--our ancestors and contemporaries--are not nervous rabbits but cerebral problem-solvers. A list of the ways in which we are stupid cannot explain how we're so smart: how we discovered...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"One of the most important books I've ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world." – Bill Gates
"Hans Rosling tells the story of 'the secret silent miracle of human progress' as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly." —Melinda

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Discover the variety of ways our brains can trick us, from optical illusions to magicians' masterful use of misdirection to strategies used by con artists. Learn why you can't always trust your brain, so you'll be less likely to be swindled, hoodwinked, or bamboozled. Learn how your brain gets tricked by the world around you, and how you can train yourself to be a better, more critical thinker.

'Magical thinking' can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world: Think of the conviction that one can manifest their way out of poverty, stave off cancer with positive vibes, thwart the apocalypse by learning to can their own peaches, or transform an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one with loyalty alone. In all its forms, magical thinking works in service of restoring agency...