Exuberant Irrationality

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 2004, Vol 49(6), 682–684. Review of book Everyday Irrationality: How Pseudo-Scientists, Lunatics, and the Rest of Us Systematically Fail to Think Rationally by Robyn M. Dawes (see record 2001-00033-000). The book is a succinct account of why people do not always think rationally, but rather act in a “self-contradictory manner… [and] what, in turn, yields this self-contradiction” (p. 3). Dawes elaborates by stating “the contradiction results as a failure to specify ‘obvious’ alternatives and consequently a failure to make a comparative judgment involving more than one alternative” (p. 3). The book offers many principles, settings, and examples of how people's thinking ultimately leads them down the wrong path. Everyday Irrationality is a 224-page book, mostly text but with some figures and tables. The book includes 11 self-contained (for the most part) chapters, with notes and references presented at the end of each chapter. Throughout the book, Dawes cites numerous psychologists (Skinner, Freud, Simon, Kahneman, Tversky, etc.) as well as psychological theories when exploring irrationality. It is evident that Dawes learned a great deal from his father (an historian). Dawes interweaves people from many periods of human history to explore irrationality. Everyday Irrationality is a “must read” for anyone interested in rationality. It is a unique account of why people think irrationally in everyday life. Dawes presents his arguments in a creative, well-thought-out style. He draws on several areas both inside and outside psychology, using examples from nearly every domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)