How to Think More and Better: Being Reasonable in Unreasonable Times

by William B. Irvine

Even the most reasonable of us can be selective about when we think reasonably—we might take pride in our rationality about professional matters but follow our gut when it comes to social issues, for example. In a world of rabbit holes, echo chambers, and disinformation, how can we keep our heads on straight more consistently? How to Think More and Better offers a philosopher's advice on becoming a more rational and critical thinker. It trains the listener in open-minded critical thinking. Irvine makes the case for his approach, explaining the prevalence of emotion-driven thinking at the expense of engagement with evidence, and then lays out strategies listeners can use to train themselves to think more critically.

William B. Irvine, author of the popular book "A Guide to the Good Life," offers much needed philosophical advice on how to become a more rational and critical thinker in today's emotionally-driven and complex world.

Even the most reasonable of us can be selective about when we think reasonably. We may realize that the best thing to do is to take the advice of our doctor when facing a medical issue. When shopping for a new car or appliance we might carefully assess online reviews and weigh our options calmly before making an informed decision. But when it comes to things that feel more fraught—voting, navigating a challenge in our family, figuring out what to do in a difficult professional situation—we might throw this approach out the window, dismissing facts and patterns that form a body of evidence, and trust our gut. (Of course, there is a time and place for this, but not every big decision is purely a matter of the heart.) Likewise, when we think about big ideas, about right and wrong, or about concepts so complex they make anyone's head spin, we can freeze, jumping to conclusions rather than wading into the details, or considering the existing arguments that others offer as a trail through challenging terrain. How can we do better? How can we train our minds to be more consistent? How can we practice using the best of our rational abilities when it matters most?

How to Think More and Better offers a philosopher's advice on becoming a more rational and critical thinker, rather than relying on emotions or hearsay to reach important decisions. It trains the listener in open-minded critical thinking. This thinking is crucial in a time of political polarization, social media, politicized news media, and echo chambers, to help us pursue truth and understanding in a world of rabbit holes, echo chambers, and disinformation. Irvine explains the prevalence of emotion-driven thinking is often at the expense of engagement with evidence, and then lays out strategies listeners can use to train themselves to think more critically, drawn from what worked for him in the classroom. He also covers important areas to aid intellectual self-transformation, such as Mindcare and Mindcleaning.

With practice, most people can become evidence-based thinkers. Seemingly intractable contemporary problems might be solved if we all start engaging more in this kind of slow and careful thinking, considering arguments and evidence even from those on opposite sides of key debates.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 5, 2026

About the author

William B Irvine is professor of philosophy at Wright State University. The author of seven books, including A Guide to the Good Life, he has also written for the Huffington Post, Salon, Time, and the BBC. He lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Reviews

[Mateusz Grabarczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka opowiada o tym, dlaczego kluczowe jest bycie otwartym na zmianę swoje zdania i swoich wartości. Jest to aspekt, który uważam za bardzo ważny w relacjach, bez którego ciężko by było na dłuższą metę wytrzymać. Każdy z nas jest inny, ale samo refleksja i samo świadomość naszych zachowań to aspekty, które każdy powinien w jakimś podstawowym stopniu opanować :).

[A YOGAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

William B. Irvine liefert mit „How to Think More and Better“ ein philosophisches Trainingsprogramm für eine Zeit, in der Emotionen häufig die Oberhand über Fakten gewinnen. Er zeigt, dass wir im Alltag durchaus rational entscheiden können, bei komplexen Themen wie Politik oder Ethik jedoch anfällig für kognitive Verzerrungen sind. Irvine verbindet klassische Logik mit Strategien zur geistigen Selbsttransformation. Sein Plädoyer: evidenzbasiert denken, Gegenargumente ernst nehmen – und die eigene Irrtumsanfälligkeit einkalkulieren. Ein ebenso nüchterner wie praktischer Leitfaden, um in einer Welt aus Echokammern und Desinformation den klaren Kopf zu bewahren.
Kernthemen der geistigen Selbsttransformation
Irvine geht über traditionelle Logik-Lehrbücher hinaus, indem er Denken als Form intellektueller „Hygiene“ und kontinuierlichen Trainings versteht:
Belief Reconsidered (Überzeugungen prüfen):

Er analysiert, wie Überzeugungen entstehen – oft nicht aus Wahrheitsliebe, sondern aus Zugehörigkeit, Gewohnheit oder emotionaler Befriedigung. Seine Empfehlung: regelmäßige Selbstrevision und die Suche nach Inkonsistenzen im eigenen Denken.
Sprache als Falle:

In seinen „Word Problems“ zeigt Irvine, wie emotive Begriffe, Framing und Mehrdeutigkeiten unser Urteil trüben. Wer lernt, sprachliche Aufladung zu entkräften, gelangt näher an die sachliche Substanz eines Problems.
Umgang mit Komplexität:

Irvine entwickelt Strategien, um Kausalzusammenhänge differenziert zu analysieren, ohne in die Versuchung vorschneller Simplifizierung zu geraten – eine Kernkompetenz in einer hochvernetzten Welt.
Kognitive Verzerrungen:

Ein Schwerpunkt liegt auf dem Confirmation Bias (Bestätigungsfehler) und der simplen, aber entscheidenden Rückfrage: „Woher weißt du das eigentlich?“ Er zeigt, wie digitale Algorithmen bestehende Überzeugungen verstärken und Zweifel systematisch unterminieren.
Mindcare & Mindcleaning:

Mit diesen Begriffen beschreibt Irvine die aktive Pflege des Verstandes. „Mindcleaning“ meint das bewusste Entrümpeln unbegründeter Meinungen, um Raum für „Mind Expansion“ – die Erweiterung des intellektuellen Horizonts – zu schaffen. Denken wird so zu einer Form der Selbstdisziplin, fast stoisch im Ton, aber pragmatisch im Ziel.

[Jerry Edward Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

We live in difficult and even dysfunctional times in this country. One symptom is the inability of many people to reasonably interact with other people. At the same time other people are finding it difficult to decide what they actually believe and how to reasonably express what they want to communicate. A new book might help. The author is an emeritus professor of philosophy and is well known for addressing issues relating to the philosophy of living and the life well lived. His works on the philosophical idea of stoicism, including The Stoic Challenge (W.W. Norton 2019) and A Guide to the Good Life (Oxford University Press 2009), address this philosophical quest to identify effective and productive ways of living. The author presents in this new book what he terms a thought regimen or a process by which the reader can learn to think more and better every time. The process begins with an understanding of the personal intellectual shortcomings every one has. Overcoming one’s own ego may be the very first real challenge anyone faces. The author is also seeking to create the open minded critical thinker that he believes we all can be. The author terms this as evidence based thinking. This book offers a philosopher's advice on becoming a more rational and critical thinker, rather than relying on emotions or hearsay to reach important decisions. It trains the listener in open-minded critical thinking. The book examines the basis of our beliefs, how words can be variously interpreted by us, the very process of thinking in a complex world, overcoming the many cognitive biases we face, and the hoped for end result of an intellectual transformation in the very way we can think. A book well worth reading with this one is The Civility Book by Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson (Wayne State University Press 2025). The final chapters presents a portrait of the thinker as an ideal where this transformation can take place; and a series of thought exercises for one to actually reach that goal. The Appendix assesses the reader’s responses to the thought exercises in the final chapter. Highly recommended for the reader seeking to be more effective and productive ion reasoning and communication.

[Kimiya AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book
its not as easy to understand how and where we came to a belief or mindset
and its harder to learn and exercise how to change and improve your beliefs and judgement.
I would recommend this book to everyone and would definitely listen to this later again

[ED · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having loved "A Guide to the Good Life" and "The Stoic Challenge", which I've rated the highest and which are among my favorite books, I preordered this one. What an utter disappointment it was. There's no meat in it 😉. I think he wrote it mainly to signal his belonging to a group. I'm sure I won't preorder his next book.