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Why We Think What We Think: The Unexpected Origins of Our Deepest Beliefs
'Fizzing with insights and ideas... I loved it'
Jenny Kleeman, author of The Price of Life
‘Fascinating, incredibly valuable and accessible – a compelling view of why we see the world and each other the way we do’
Bobby Duffy, author of The Perils of Perception
Without knowing it, almost all our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s right – are shaped by an astounding web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the lines of our genetic code, to the geology of where we grew up.
This eye-opening book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions. It
Why the descendants of rice farmers have fundamentally different social values to the descendants of grain farmersHow our physical appearance shapes the way we see the world – and why conventionally attractive people tend to support the free marketWhy liberals are more likely than conservatives to think pineapple should go on pizza – and why conservatives prefer smooth peanut butter to crunchyWhy hot and humid countries favour authoritarian leaders
Packed with surprising stories and counterintuitive discoveries, Why We Think What We Think does more than reveal how our beliefs are formed. By showing where our beliefs really come from, it invites us to step outside our own assumptions – and learn how to think more clearly, and more generously, about the world we all share.
Jenny Kleeman, author of The Price of Life
‘Fascinating, incredibly valuable and accessible – a compelling view of why we see the world and each other the way we do’
Bobby Duffy, author of The Perils of Perception
Without knowing it, almost all our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s right – are shaped by an astounding web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the lines of our genetic code, to the geology of where we grew up.
This eye-opening book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions. It
Why the descendants of rice farmers have fundamentally different social values to the descendants of grain farmersHow our physical appearance shapes the way we see the world – and why conventionally attractive people tend to support the free marketWhy liberals are more likely than conservatives to think pineapple should go on pizza – and why conservatives prefer smooth peanut butter to crunchyWhy hot and humid countries favour authoritarian leaders
Packed with surprising stories and counterintuitive discoveries, Why We Think What We Think does more than reveal how our beliefs are formed. By showing where our beliefs really come from, it invites us to step outside our own assumptions – and learn how to think more clearly, and more generously, about the world we all share.
Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy
The central question of Turi Munthe's ambitious and entertaining second book is deceptively simple: why do we hold the opinions we hold? The answer, it turns out, is far stranger and more humbling than we'd like to admit.
After co-founding Parlia — an online encyclopaedia of human opinion designed to map the arguments on every contested question — Munthe noticed something troubling. People weren't swayed by the best arguments. They weren't even engaging with arguments much at all. What they were doing, in their millions, was voting for positions that seemed to track something deeper and harder to name than logic or evidence. This book is the result of his attempt to figure out what that something is. The answer unfolds across nine chapters and two broad sections.
Part One is a tour of what Munthe — borrowing from the philosopher Bernard Williams — calls the "encumbrances" on our thinking: the unconscious forces that shape our beliefs before we've reasoned about anything. He moves with impressive range from meteorology to molecular biology. Hot, humid climates correlate with authoritarian politics. The descendants of rice farmers tend toward collectivism, while those of grain farmers lean individualist. People with more taste buds on their tongues are more likely to vote conservative. Brain scans can predict political affiliation with over 70 per cent accuracy. Conservatives sweat more when startled; liberals use more muscles in their faces. The cumulative effect of this catalogue is genuinely disorienting — which is precisely the point. Munthe is not arguing that we are irrational creatures but that our rationality operates within a framework of biological, geographical, historical and emotional constraints we rarely acknowledge. We think we've reasoned our way to our convictions; more often, we've rationalised our way toward them after the fact.
If Part One is a chastening exercise in epistemic humility, Part Two is a surprising and welcome pivot toward optimism. Munthe argues that disagreement, far from being a failure of civilisation, is in fact its engine. Drawing on evolutionary biology, he makes the case that left and right are not aberrations but complementary adaptations. They are different strategies for managing different kinds of risk, both necessary for a species as varied and unpredictable as ours. Reason, he argues, was never meant to be a solo performance; it evolved as a collaborative, adversarial process. Argument, in the original Latin sense of 'arguere' — to make clear — is how humanity actually thinks.
As an invitation to think differently about why we believe what we believe — and to engage more generously with those who believe otherwise — 'Why We Think What We Think' is persuasive, witty and usefully unsettling.
After co-founding Parlia — an online encyclopaedia of human opinion designed to map the arguments on every contested question — Munthe noticed something troubling. People weren't swayed by the best arguments. They weren't even engaging with arguments much at all. What they were doing, in their millions, was voting for positions that seemed to track something deeper and harder to name than logic or evidence. This book is the result of his attempt to figure out what that something is. The answer unfolds across nine chapters and two broad sections.
Part One is a tour of what Munthe — borrowing from the philosopher Bernard Williams — calls the "encumbrances" on our thinking: the unconscious forces that shape our beliefs before we've reasoned about anything. He moves with impressive range from meteorology to molecular biology. Hot, humid climates correlate with authoritarian politics. The descendants of rice farmers tend toward collectivism, while those of grain farmers lean individualist. People with more taste buds on their tongues are more likely to vote conservative. Brain scans can predict political affiliation with over 70 per cent accuracy. Conservatives sweat more when startled; liberals use more muscles in their faces. The cumulative effect of this catalogue is genuinely disorienting — which is precisely the point. Munthe is not arguing that we are irrational creatures but that our rationality operates within a framework of biological, geographical, historical and emotional constraints we rarely acknowledge. We think we've reasoned our way to our convictions; more often, we've rationalised our way toward them after the fact.
If Part One is a chastening exercise in epistemic humility, Part Two is a surprising and welcome pivot toward optimism. Munthe argues that disagreement, far from being a failure of civilisation, is in fact its engine. Drawing on evolutionary biology, he makes the case that left and right are not aberrations but complementary adaptations. They are different strategies for managing different kinds of risk, both necessary for a species as varied and unpredictable as ours. Reason, he argues, was never meant to be a solo performance; it evolved as a collaborative, adversarial process. Argument, in the original Latin sense of 'arguere' — to make clear — is how humanity actually thinks.
As an invitation to think differently about why we believe what we believe — and to engage more generously with those who believe otherwise — 'Why We Think What We Think' is persuasive, witty and usefully unsettling.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an Advance Review Copy of the book.
A great book should entertain, educate and elevate. This book is terrific that does all three. You will laugh and gasp at some stories and anecdotes, you'll learn effortlessly about how we form our deepest beliefs, and you'll come away more respectful of others and humble about your own views.
This book is engaging and thought-provoking. It is better written and more engaging than the vast majority of books I've read on how humans think and have come to believe.
In these divided times, where people don't want to listen to "the other side" this book is a much needed antidote that teaches us that debate and dialogue are our human superpower.
A great book should entertain, educate and elevate. This book is terrific that does all three. You will laugh and gasp at some stories and anecdotes, you'll learn effortlessly about how we form our deepest beliefs, and you'll come away more respectful of others and humble about your own views.
This book is engaging and thought-provoking. It is better written and more engaging than the vast majority of books I've read on how humans think and have come to believe.
In these divided times, where people don't want to listen to "the other side" this book is a much needed antidote that teaches us that debate and dialogue are our human superpower.
May 14, 2026
Received an Advance Review Copy of the book.
A rare and timely book, both in its wide-ranging scope and its deeply personal reflection on the nature and causes of belief.
Rare in that it situates belief beyond the familiar claim that it is merely shaped by environment, counter-intuitively showing the deep impact of biology and evolution as well as culture - while still recognising that belief can be shaped beyond disposition. Timely in that it holds up a mirror to these polarised and weaponised times.
An important book that carries a serious and consistent thread, but does so in a way that feels distinctly personal, fun and entertaining. Recommended.
A rare and timely book, both in its wide-ranging scope and its deeply personal reflection on the nature and causes of belief.
Rare in that it situates belief beyond the familiar claim that it is merely shaped by environment, counter-intuitively showing the deep impact of biology and evolution as well as culture - while still recognising that belief can be shaped beyond disposition. Timely in that it holds up a mirror to these polarised and weaponised times.
An important book that carries a serious and consistent thread, but does so in a way that feels distinctly personal, fun and entertaining. Recommended.
Review of advance copy
Incisive, clever and wide-ranging. Munthe’s deep dive into the unconscious drivers of our deepest-held beliefs is thought-provoking, witty and illuminating. It’s the kind of intelligent writing that leaves you feeling smarter and eager to share your discoveries.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews