A funny, sharp-edged, and deeply serious book about a mainstream myth that brings us much comfort but little progress: that we all know what rationality demands and that more rational debate will set us free. Gordon-Smith shows us what it might really take, as she says, to ‘find our way back to the truth’. An excellent piece of philosophy, and a pleasure to read. – Amia Srinivasan, Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, University of Oxford.
In 2019 I published “Stop Being Reasonable” with UNSW Press: seven true stories of people changing their minds in high stakes ways and what they teach us about rationality and persuasion. It took about two years of research and interviewing to gather the stories before turning them into philosophical reflections.
It’s been translated into seven languages and I spoke about it at the Sydney Writers’ Festival and The Edinburgh Book Festival.
I adapted Chapter 4, the story of a woman who wonders whether to believe her own memories of being abused, into a piece for This American Life.
Here’s my favourite interview about the stories in the book and what they taught me, and here is a lovely review in The Observer.