Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

 
　　此刻，人類對科技的理解正邁向新的高峰，同時也似乎正逐漸失去理智……。為何人類這一物種，能夠在一年內研發出對抗新冠肺炎的疫苗，同時卻也生產出如此大量的假新聞、錯誤醫療資訊和陰謀論？
 
　　我們如今面臨對人類健康、民主政治、整個地球的可居住性的致命威脅，儘管這些挑戰十分艱鉅，然而人類完全有能力找出解方。真正困難的是，在找到解決方法後，如何說服眾人接受它。
 
　　在演進的過程中，我們的祖先作為解決問題的能手，一步一步造就了如今的人類。同意「人類本質上就不理性」、「人類的大腦就是一堆幻想和錯覺的集合」的說法，對哈佛大學心理學系教授史迪芬．平克來說難以接受。畢竟，也正是人類，定義了何謂「理性」。平克在本書中，檢視我們在幾千年間發現的有利工具：邏輯、批判性思考、因果關係等等。這些工具多半並非基礎教育的必備課程，也從未被清楚而有趣地呈現在一本書中──直到現在。
 
　　本書也同時檢視了「理性」的反面，探索流言的本質、陰謀論思考等等，以及以「真實」和以「普遍錯誤的看法」為核心的兩種對立思維方式間的區別，帶我們看見為何對自身利益、派系團體等的理性追求，會造成社會中的不理性。
 
　　儘管不少人認為「理性」是個過時的概念，在這個其遭受更多威脅、也更顯必要的時代，本書是對其重要性的一大肯定。理性讓我們得以做出對個人和整體社會更好的決定，更是促進社會正義和道德發展的終極驅動力。本書充滿平克令人熟悉的洞察力和幽默感，將為讀者帶來啟發。

　　(文/博客來編譯)

　　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.