Life Examined
The role of reason in a ‘post-truth’ world
On this week’s Life Examined, we explore why rationality matters amidst a time of mass misinformation.
By Jonathan Bastian • • 51m ListenOn this week’s Life Examined, we explore why rationality matters amidst a time of mass misinformation. Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Steven Pinker, Harvard psychologist and author of “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters” about our ability to sort fact from fiction. We also hear from evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson about how the human species is evolving to become better caretakers of each other and the planet.
In this episode
2 storiesThe psychology of critical thinking and disinformation
Science, data, and logic serve as powerful tools in formulating ideas and solving problems. But our capacity for rational thought has not always gone hand in hand with a universal ability to think and behave sensibly.
Read the story33 minAre we evolving to be nicer? This biologist says yes
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution revolutionized the study of biology with the idea that species change over time through natural selection.
Read the story19 min
