In a world saturated with information, where facts seem fluid and truths can be elusive, one might wonder: do we truly understand the essence of what we know?
The journey of intellectual discovery begins with a single step — the step of questioning.
Here are six books that will make you question — and redefine — everything you thought you knew.
#1. Everything is Obvious by Duncan J. Watts
Genre: Psychology/Sociology
Redefines: The concept of common sense, fitting events into neat narratives
Common sense often fails you.
It misleads you into believing that you understand more about the world of human behavior than you do.
Enter “hindsight bias”, the “oh, I knew it all along” phenomenon that often leads us to believe that events were predictable or obvious after they’ve occurred.
The book examines how our intuitive thinking often tricks us into seeing cause-and-effect relationships where they don’t actually exist. With various examples from history, economics, and daily life, it explores the limitations of common sense to demonstrate how our reliance on simplistic explanations can hinder our ability to understand the world.
Offering valuable insights into the psychology of decision-making, the fallacy of hindsight, and the complexities of human behavior, the book will challenge you to rethink your understanding of social dynamics.
“What appear to us to be causal explanations are in fact just stories — descriptions of what happened that tell us little, if anything, about the mechanisms at work.”
“When we challenge our assumptions about the world — or even more important, when we realize we’re making an assumption that we didn’t even know we were making — we may or may not change our views. But even if we don’t, the exercise of challenging them should at least force us to notice our own stubbornness, which in turn should give us pause.”
― Duncan J. Watts, Everything is Obvious: Once You Know the Answer
#2. Factfulness by Hans, Ola, & Anna Rosling
Genre: Economics/Psychology
Redefines: Your thoughts and assumptions about the state of the world
Everyone says everything in the world is getting worse.
Well, that’s a myth — and this book will challenge you to rethink your assumptions about the state of the world.
It presents a wealth of data and statistics to show that, despite the many challenges and problems we face as a global society, the world is actually getting better in many ways.
Τhe authors demonstrate how our perceptions of the world are often distorted by biases, misconceptions, and incomplete information and offer practical strategies for overcoming these biases and developing a more fact-based understanding of the world.
What makes the book such a compelling read for me is the way it combines rigorous analysis with a deeply humanistic and optimistic outlook. The authors are not naïve about the challenges we face. Still, they also believe that by looking at the data objectively and developing a more accurate understanding of the world, we can create a better future.
“People often call me an optimist, because I show them the enormous progress they didn’t know about. That makes me angry. I’m not an optimist. That makes me sound naive. I’m a very serious “possibilist.”
“Ηuman beings have a strong dramatic instinct toward binary thinking, a basic urge to divide things into two distinct groups, with nothing but an empty gap in between. We love to dichotomize. Good versus bad. Heroes versus villains. My country versus the rest.”
― Hans Rosling, Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
#3. The Honest Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely
Genre: Psychology/Economics
Redefines: Your perception of honesty and deceit
It’s funny how people lie, cheat, and deceive, even when they consider themselves to be honest individuals.
This book offers a captivating exploration of the gray area between honesty and deceit.
The author presents a series of experiments and real-world examples to uncover the underlying factors that lead us to engage in dishonest actions. He also skillfully uncovers the cognitive tricks they employ to justify our dishonest actions, highlighting the gap between our moral ideals and our actual behaviors.
Overall, it’s a thought-provoking read that will prompt you to question your assumptions about human behavior and provide a window into the complex interplay of psychology, ethics, and decision-making.
“The more cashless our society becomes, the more our moral compass slips.”
“We all want explanations for why we behave as we do and for the ways the world around us functions. Even when our feeble explanations have little to do with reality. We’re storytelling creatures by nature, and we tell ourselves story after story until we come up with an explanation that we like and that sounds reasonable enough to believe.”
― Dan Ariely, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone — Especially Ourselves
#4. Irresistible by Adam Alter
Genre: Science & Technology
Redefines: Your understanding of technology’s influence, the balance between technology use and well-being
Ever wondered why technology has such a pervasive influence on our lives?
Why smartphones, social media platforms, video games, and other digital experiences are engineered to be so addictive?
The answers are in this book: it delves into the psychology behind our compulsive use of these technologies, explaining how they tap into our innate desires for reward, pleasure, and connection.
Combining engaging storytelling with extensive research, it sheds light on how tech companies employ persuasive design techniques to create products that capture our attention, often leading to addictive habits that can have detrimental effects on our well-being.
However, Alter’s book doesn’t merely critique technology; it also suggests ways one can become more mindful of their tech usage and regain control over their life. If you’re seeking ways to maintain a healthier relationship with digital devices, this book is for you.
“To some extent we all need losses and difficulties and challenges, because without them the thrill of success weakens gradually with each new victory. That’s why people spend precious chunks of free time doing difficult crosswords and climbing dangerous mountains — because the hardship of the challenge is far more compelling than knowing you’re going to succeed.”
“There isn’t a bright line between addicts and the rest of us. We’re all one product or experience away from developing our own addictions.”
― Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
#5. You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney
Genre: Psychology/Science
Redefines: Your assumptions about your own cognitive abilities
Our stupid beliefs make us feel wise.
This probably doesn’t come as a big surprise, but humans aren’t the rational creatures we think we are.
Most of the time we don’t see the world as it really is. From the number of friends we have on Facebook to the smartphones we choose to purchase, we’re constantly deluding ourselves.
The culprits responsible for our errors in thinking? Cognitive biases, heuristics, and logical fallacies.
In this spectacular book, the author examines how our biases taint our perception of the world, by delving into a wide range of psychological research and breaking down 48 psychology concepts. It’s an excellent resource for anyone curious about the intricacies of human behavior and psychology, and one that can help you develop a greater awareness of your own mental processes.
If you think you know anything about the way your brain makes decisions, prepare to be surprised.
“THE MISCONCEPTION: You are a rational, logical being who sees the world as it really is. THE TRUTH: You are as deluded as the rest of us, but that’s OK, it keeps you sane.”
“You can’t rage against the machine through rebellious consumption.”
“We reach for the same brand not because we trust its quality but because we want to reassure ourselves that we made a smart choice the last time we bought it.”
― David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart
#6. The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser
Genre: Science & Technology
Redefines: Everything surrounding personalized content and online interactions
Everything you do online is filtered. These filters are used to shape your online experience and limit your exposure to diverse viewpoints.
In other words, personalized algorithms and recommendation systems (e.g., used by Google or Facebook) have significant (unintended) negative consequences.
The book delves into the mechanisms behind these algorithms, explaining how they select and present content based on user behavior, preferences, and demographic information and illustrates how we are increasingly exposed to information that aligns with our existing views — often missing out on important perspectives.
It’s a wake-up call to the fact that while we think we’re navigating the vast sea of the internet, we often end up just staying in our comfortable spot of biased information.
“A world constructed from the familiar is the world in which there’s nothing to learn.”
“The filter bubble tends to dramatically amplify confirmation bias — in a way, it’s designed to. Consuming information that conforms to our ideas of the world is easy and pleasurable; consuming information that challenges us to think in new ways or question our assumptions is frustrating and difficult.” — Eli Pariser, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You
