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, answers these questions in Rationality. In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding--and at the same time 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. Instead, he explains that we 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 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.

These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula 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 by individuals 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 insight and humor, Rationality will enlighten, inspire, and empower.

Can we change the minds of science deniers? Encounters with flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, coronavirus truthers, and others who defy reason are the focus of this work. In a world where many citizens reject scientific expertise in favor of ideology and conspiracy theories, Lee McIntyre's book, How to Talk to a Science Denier, offers a poignant exploration into the culture of science denialism.

McIntyre, drawing on his own experiences, such as attending a Flat Earth convention, along with academic research, seeks to understand the common themes of science denialism. These themes are evident in misinformation campaigns that have persisted over decades, ranging from tobacco companies denying the link between smoking and lung cancer to the current day anti-vaxxer movement.

In his quest to communicate the truth and values of science, McIntyre shares personal anecdotes, such as engaging discussions with coal miners and a scientist friend about genetically modified organisms. He presents tools and techniques for effective communication, emphasizing the importance of calm, respectful conversations and face-to-face engagement with science deniers.

Through this book, McIntyre not only shares insights into the psychology of denial but also provides a hopeful message: it is possible to make a difference by standing up against science denial, which can have life-or-death consequences.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow and the coauthor of Nudge, Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment is a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments and how to make better ones. Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients, or that two judges in the same courthouse give markedly different sentences to people who have committed the same crime. Suppose that different interviewers at the same firm make different decisions about indistinguishable job applicants, or that when a company is handling customer complaints, the resolution depends on who happens to answer the phone. Now imagine that the same doctor, the same judge, the same interviewer, or the same customer service agent makes different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical.

In Noise, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein show the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, forensic science, bail, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations alike are unaware of it. They neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions.

Packed with original ideas, and offering the same kinds of research-based insights that made Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers, Noise explains how and why humans are so susceptible to noise in judgment—and what we can do about it.

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake is a fascinating journey into the world of fungi, an essential but often overlooked kingdom of life. Sheldrake, a biologist and mycologist, explores how these extraordinary organisms live, grow, and interact with their environment, offering insights into their crucial role in our ecosystems.

Through his engaging narrative, Sheldrake brings to light the complex and often hidden networks that fungi create, revealing how they can teach us about connectivity and symbiosis. He delves into the various ways fungi can be utilized for ecological and biotechnological purposes, from decomposing matter to creating new materials.

With a blend of rigorous science and captivating storytelling, Entangled Life not only expands our understanding of fungi but also challenges our perception of life itself. It's a compelling read for anyone interested in the natural world and the untapped potential of these enigmatic life forms.

In How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical, and accessible plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid an irreversible climate catastrophe. Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in various fields, he focuses on what must be done to stop the planet's slide toward environmental disaster.

Gates gathers all the information we need to understand the importance of working toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases and details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He provides a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face and describes the areas where technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where current technology can be made more effective, and where breakthrough technologies are needed.

Finally, he offers a concrete plan for achieving zero emissions, suggesting policies for governments to adopt and actions individuals can take to hold governments, employers, and themselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. Achieving zero emissions will not be simple, but Gates is optimistic that by following the guidelines he sets out, it is a goal within our reach.

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction, delves into humanity's transformative impact on the environment. Kolbert presents a critical question: After causing extensive damage, can we now alter nature to save it?

Living in the Anthropocene, an era defined by significant human influence on our planet, Kolbert explores the new world we are shaping. She introduces us to scientists working to save the world's rarest fish in the Mojave, engineers in Iceland transforming carbon emissions into stone, Australian researchers developing heat-resistant coral, and physicists considering the use of tiny diamonds to cool the earth by reflecting sunlight.

With human civilization being a millennia-long defiance of nature, Kolbert examines whether our latest interventions, which once imperiled Earth, could now be its only salvation. Under a White Sky offers an original and multifaceted look at the environmental challenges we must confront, characterized by inspiration, terror, and a touch of dark humor.

From The New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends reveals the untold story of the cyberweapons market—the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market on earth—and a terrifying first look at a new kind of global warfare.

Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask Ukraine).

For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar—first thousands, and later millions of dollars—to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence. Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market. Now those zero days are in the hands of hostile nations and mercenaries who do not care if your vote goes missing, your clean water is contaminated, or our nuclear plants melt down.

Filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, written like a thriller and a reference, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is an astonishing feat of journalism. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, Nicole Perlroth lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.

Chatter by acclaimed psychologist Ethan Kross explores the powerful and often underappreciated inner voice in our heads. Kross interweaves groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his own lab with compelling real-world case studies to explain how our self-talk shapes our lives, work, and relationships.

While we often aim to engage our inner coach to boost our confidence, we sometimes end up with a debilitating inner critic instead. This disorienting self-talk, or 'chatter,' can negatively impact our health, mood, social connections, and performance under pressure.

However, Kross reveals that we possess the necessary tools to turn our inner voice into a positive force. These tools are embedded in everyday practices: the language we use, the technologies we utilize, the personal diaries we maintain, the dialogues with those close to us, and the cultures we cultivate in educational and professional settings.

With an expert blend of research and stories, Chatter provides insightful guidance on how to harness the inner voice to lead a more productive and fulfilling life.

Bestselling author, peak performance expert and Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, Steven Kotler decodes the secrets of those elite performers—athletes, artists, scientists, CEOs and more—who have changed our definition of the possible, teaching us how we too can stretch far beyond our capabilities, making impossible dreams much more attainable for all of us.

What does it take to accomplish the impossible? What does it take to shatter our limitations, exceed our expectations, and turn our biggest dreams into our most recent achievements? We are capable of so much more than we know—that’s the message at the core of The Art of Impossible. Building upon cutting-edge neuroscience and over twenty years of research, author Steven Kotler lays out a blueprint for extreme performance improvement and offers a playbook to make it happen.