Overview

An entertaining guide to human nature that reveals how people really make big choices. What makes somebody change their world view completely? Why do some people refuse to alter their perceptions, despite prevailing evidence that says they should? And how can you persuade them to change their minds? Eleanor Gordon-Smith meets six ordinary people who made life-altering decisions. From the woman who realised her husband harboured a terrible secret, to the man who left the cult he had been raised in since birth, and the British reality TV contestant who, having impersonated someone else for a month, discovered he could no longer return to his former identity, all of the people interviewed radically altered their beliefs about the things that matter most. Their stories explore the limits of human reason and persuasion.

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9781912854455

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Reviews

'This is a funny, sharp-edged and deeply serious book about a mainstream myth: that we all know what rationality demands. A pleasure to read.' -- Amia Srinivasan 'I've never read anything quite like this book; it is empathetic, sharply intelligent, and accessible.' -- Ellen Cregan * Kill Your Darlings * 'A frank and thoughtful new voice ... this is an assured and companionable guide through the wilderness of contemporary ethics.' -- Shahidha Bari 'It is curious and intelligent and deeply researched and genuinely thoughtful, and at the same time consistently entertaining to read ... If you want to introduce someone to philosophy, give them this book.' -- Alex Tighe * Australian Book Review * 'Gordon-Smith does not have all the answers. But she gives us the tools we need to examine our biases and choose how we approach the decisions we need to make. For those of us who suspect the time for being reasonable - and not getting emotional - has passed, this is the book we need.' -- Astrid Edwards * The Saturday Paper * 'Gordon-Smith has written a book that not only questions long-held philosophical belief - can Descartes' philosophy of doubt drive us from truth? - but one that engages with life in such a way that makes the argument feel existentially urgent.' * Sydney Morning Herald * 'The book is slickly written and relies for its substance on contemporary epistemology and ethics, rather than the usual well-trodden paths of nudge theory and popular psychology.' -- Dan Brotzel * Press Association * 'I knew how piercingly smart Eleanor Gordon-Smith is, and what a curious and resolute interviewer. But I was unprepared for how entertainingly she writes! I read this with pleasure.' -- Ira Glass 'Relevant and accessible ... a witty book.' -- Jonnie Wolf * The Observer *

'Relevant and accessible ... a witty book.' -- Jonnie Wolf * The Observer * 'I knew how piercingly smart Eleanor Gordon-Smith is, and what a curious and resolute interviewer. But I was unprepared for how entertainingly she writes! I read this with pleasure.' -- Ira Glass 'The book is slickly written and relies for its substance on contemporary epistemology and ethics, rather than the usual well-trodden paths of nudge theory and popular psychology.' -- Dan Brotzel * Press Association * 'Gordon-Smith has written a book that not only questions long-held philosophical belief - can Descartes' philosophy of doubt drive us from truth? - but one that engages with life in such a way that makes the argument feel existentially urgent.' * Sydney Morning Herald * 'Gordon-Smith does not have all the answers. But she gives us the tools we need to examine our biases and choose how we approach the decisions we need to make. For those of us who suspect the time for being reasonable - and not getting emotional - has passed, this is the book we need.' -- Astrid Edwards * The Saturday Paper * 'It is curious and intelligent and deeply researched and genuinely thoughtful, and at the same time consistently entertaining to read ... If you want to introduce someone to philosophy, give them this book.' -- Alex Tighe * Australian Book Review * 'A frank and thoughtful new voice ... this is an assured and companionable guide through the wilderness of contemporary ethics.' -- Shahidha Bari 'I've never read anything quite like this book; it is empathetic, sharply intelligent, and accessible.' -- Ellen Cregan * Kill Your Darlings * 'This is a funny, sharp-edged and deeply serious book about a mainstream myth: that we all know what rationality demands. A pleasure to read.' -- Amia Srinivasan

Author Information

Eleanor Gordon-Smith is a reporter, ethicist, and recovering champion debater. Currently at Princeton University, she has lectured on topics from the foundations of the political state to the philosophy of sex. Her work has appeared in NPR’s This American Life, Australia’s Radio National, the ABC, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and Meanjin.

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