Rationality by Steven Pinker review – it all stands to reason

The cognitive psychologist makes perfect sense in his defence of rational thinking and why our brains often lead us astray

Whether in primitive tribes or the most technologically advanced 21st-century cities, human beings are born with the facility to reason. It requires rational analysis to stalk an animal, just as it does to decide which utility company offers the best deal. So why is it that we are prone to act irrationally, to be persuaded by bad arguments and led by cynical leaders?

This is the question that, in so many words, Steven Pinker seeks to answer in his new book. Pinker, the Harvard cognitive psychologist, is the author of a number of chunky works that have grown steadily more popular, and perhaps more polemical, in their approach. From disentangling the mysteries of cognition and how we learn grammar, he moved on to making the case that humanity is growing less violent in The Better Angels of Our Nature.