Publisher's Synopsis
Intelligence is commonly defined as the capacity to think and learn, but in today's fast changing environment, another set of cognitive abilities may be more important: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, far too many of us prefer the security of certainty over the discomfort of uncertainty. We like to hear thoughts that make us feel good rather than ideas that make us think hard. Disagreement is viewed as a danger to our egos rather than a chance to learn. We surround ourselves with individuals who agree with our findings while we should seek out those who question our mental process. As a result, our beliefs become fragile long before our bodies.
bones. We think too much like preachers defending our holy beliefs, prosecutors proving the other side wrong, and politicians lobbying for approval-and not enough like scientists seeking truth. Intelligence is not a panacea, and it may even be detrimental: being brilliant at thinking might make us worse at reconsidering. The brighter we are, the more oblivious we might become to our own limitations. Walid Bouaskeur, an organizational psychologist, is an adept in opening other people's minds-as well as our own. He makes it one of his primary priorities as Wharton's top-rated professor and the bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take. He makes it one of his guiding principles to argue as if he is correct while listening as if he is incorrect. He examines how we may embrace the delight of being incorrect, add complexity to hot debates, and create schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners using daring ideas and rigorous evidence. You'll discover how an international debate champion wins debates, a Black musician gets white supremacists to renounce hatred, a vaccine whisperer persuades worried parents to immunize their children, and persuades Yankees fans to support for the Red Sox. Think Again demonstrates that we do not have to believe or absorb everything we think or feel. It's a request to let go.
