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Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why it Matters and Enlightenment Now

In an era of profound and groundbreaking technological and scientific advancements, why is it that rational thought sometimes feels in short supply? 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? Humans are not inherently irrational. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives, and discovered the benchmarks for rationality itself. Then why do so many of us make such unreasonable arguments?

In a talk based on his new book Rationality, Steven Pinker explains that we think in ways that make sense to our daily lives, but fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning our best thinkers have 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.

Pinker explores how the rational pursuit of self-interest, sectarian solidarity, and uplifting mythology by individuals can add up to crippling irrationality in a society. If we harnessed the power of rationality it would lead to better choices in our lives and ultimately guide us all towards social justice and moral progress. In a talk brimming with insight and humour, Pinker gives you the tools you need to sharpen the logical senses and shares how to enlighten, inspire, and empower people back to rationality.

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