Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-294) and index.
Contents:
Part IV. Part I. Epilogue. Preacher, a Prosecutor, a Politician, and a Scientist Walk into your Mind -- Armchair Quarterback and the Impostor: Finding the Sweet Spot of Confidence -- Joy of Being Wrong: The Thrill of Not Believing Everything You Think -- Good Fight Club: The Psychology of Constructive Conflict -- Part II. Interpersonal Rethinking: Opening Other People's Minds -- Dances with Foes: How to Win Debates and Influence People -- Bad Blood on the Diamond: Diminishing Prejudice by Destabilizing Stereotypes -- Vaccine Whisperers and Mild-Mannered Interrogators: How the Right Kind of Listening Motivates People to Change -- Part III. Collective Rethinking: Creating Communities of Lifelong Learners. Charged Conversations: Depolarizing our Divided Discussions -- Rewriting the Textbook: Teaching Students to Question Knowledge -- That's Not the Way We've Always Done It: Building Cultures of Learning at Work -- Part IV. Conclusion -- Escaping Tunnel Vision: Reconsidering our Best-Laid Career and Life Plans -- Epilogue.
Summary:
The bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals examines the critical art of rethinking: learning to question your opinions and open other people's minds, which can position you for excellence at work and wisdom in life. Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn. We surround ourselves with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating toward those who challenge our thought process. The result is that our beliefs get brittle long before our bones. We think too much like preachers defending our sacred beliefs, prosecutors proving the other side wrong, and politicians campaigning for approval--and too little like scientists searching for truth. Intelligence is no cure, and it can even be a curse: being good at thinking can make us worse at rethinking. The brighter we are, the blinder to our own limitations we can become. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people's minds--and our own. As Wharton's top-rated professor and the bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, he makes it one of his guiding principles to argue like he's right but listen like he's wrong. With bold ideas and rigorous evidence, he investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, bring nuance to charged conversations, and build schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners. You'll learn how an international debate champion wins arguments, a Black musician persuades white supremacists to abandon hate, and Grant has coaxed Yankees fans to root for the Red Sox. Think Again reveals that we don't have to believe everything we think or internalize everything we feel. It's an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility, humility, and curiosity over foolish consistency. If knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom. -- From dust jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.