Irrational thinking is at the root of much emotional distress people experience. What we think we must have today may not even be what we want tomorrow. To become more tolerant of life’s unpredictable ...

So, I’m close to burn-out. How do I know? A few days ago, in class, I was about to snap at a student when he said: ”Pascal is an idiot. He’s so irrational.” I felt shivers of rage (if this is possible ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

Steven Pinker’s new bestseller, “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters,” is filled with riddles and quizzes and problems to ponder. Reading it, I bombed on every single one. The ...

When my students grow too dependent on their calculators, I ask them to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives them 2. Students quickly see that since 1² = 1 and 2² = 4, the answer has ...

In HIERARCHY, DISAGREEMENT, AND FOOD POLITICS food economist Jayson Lusk discusses Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and a modification or application by Ellyn Satter. Satter conceptualizes a hierarchy of ...