The Scout Mindset

Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't

De: Julia Galef

Narrado por: Julia Galef

Duración: 6 h y 26 m

Resumen del Editor

"...an engaging and enlightening account from which we all can benefit." (The Wall Street Journal)

A better way to combat knee-jerk biases and make smarter decisions, from Julia Galef, the acclaimed expert on rational decision-making.

When it comes to what we believe, humans see what they want to see. In other words, we have what Julia Galef calls a "soldier" mindset. From tribalism and wishful thinking, to rationalizing in our personal lives and everything in between, we are driven to defend the ideas we most want to believe - and shoot down those we don't.

But if we want to get things right more often, argues Galef, we should train ourselves to have a "scout" mindset. Unlike the soldier, a scout's goal isn't to defend one side over the other. It's to go out, survey the territory, and come back with as accurate a map as possible. Regardless of what they hope to be the case, above all, the scout wants to know what's actually true.

In The Scout Mindset, Galef shows that what makes scouts better at getting things right isn't that they're smarter or more knowledgeable than everyone else. It's a handful of emotional skills, habits, and ways of looking at the world - which anyone can learn. With fascinating examples ranging from how to survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean, to how Jeff Bezos avoids overconfidence, to how superforecasters outperform CIA operatives, to Reddit threads and modern partisan politics, Galef explores why our brains deceive us and what we can do to change the way we think.

©2020 Julia Galef (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"...an engaging and enlightening account from which we all can benefit." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Most books tell you what to think. This is something rarer, and more valuable: a book about how to think, and how to learn, without the fear or favor that so often holds us back from inching closer to the truth. The beauty of The Scout Mindset demonstration is it is, itself, an example of the ethos it teaches. The delight it takes in questioning its own premises, and understanding the alternative arguments, will make you want to be a scout, too."(Ezra Klein, editor-at-large and cofounder of Vox, best-selling author of Why We’re Polarized)

“I find myself quoting Julia in my writing again and again, because no one explains thinking and rationality better than she does. The ideas in The Scout Mindset have been stuck in my head ever since I watched her TED Talk. The Scout Mindset is a lens, and once you're looking through it, the world makes a lot more sense.” (Tim Urban, co-founder of “Wait But Why”)

Scout Midset 5 Stars

I just finished listening to this incredible audio book for the second time. it is insightful, inspiring intelligent and delivered in a manner that is easy to follow and understand. The author has a speaking voice that is pleasant and clear. I highly recommend.

Should be required reading

The Arthur hit upon a real truth that is rarely explored. If her idea took root in the national discourse, the human species would advance at light speed.
She has flaws and acknowledged them which actually helps argument. I must read!!!!!!

I like it.

I like it. Her voice is pleasant for the purpose of falling asleep. However, the Mr. Spock pop culture character argument seems out of place and sloppy. It's advertised by news outlets to be something more than it is within. It's low quality bait to lure money from the trivial masses I think. This loaded swamp creature would like it if there were more meat on the beast at the end of the hook. I like the cave people joke. A few of her examples expose a deep axe she has to grind within her shrunken head about something which is alien to me. I'm trying to understand it. That's why I like it including the cave people joke. My review exposes a need for further psychotherapy.

Opened my mind just a little bit more

I get the point...
but something felt lacking....
I also found myself distracted with the whole "left" and "right" wing examples that she used towards the middle of the book. But it could be me? Especially with the current political climate. I think I may be a little sensitive. But then, maybe that means i did learn something from her book after all?

Excellent and challenging

Great book to give credence to the efforts of having an open mind. I look forward to applying Julia Galef’s ideas on scout mindset to my life.

Straightforward

- Scout mindset = Analogy for an attitude concerned with understanding and navigating what is real

- Soldier Mindset= Analogy for an attitude concerned with defending and validating what is psychosocial

Valuable and enjoyable

Concise and well-written and performed. A great guide and framework for a reboot of how I approach a lot of topics and issues, in life and politics and more. The scout metaphor is simple and compelling and will stick with me. There's a lot of wisdom here from someone who has obviously done a lot of work on how to approach decision-making and how to process a lot of the craziness in today's world. There's and outline here of things I will do to shift how I identify myself, which is a crucial insight. I will dip into this audiobook again at times as needed. I recommend it and bought a hard copy for a younger relative. I am also digging into the archives of her podcast, Rationally Speaking, which I have been aware of for a while but was a little put off by the title...too bad for me.

A Must-Read

I love this book. After reading some of the other reviews I was prepared to be underwhelmed, however I respected the author enough from her YouTube channel to give it a chance. I also suspected the book might not offer much beyond what was already available on that channel, which is the only reason I didn't order the book immediately when it was released.

I was wrong.

The book did include some concepts from the channel, but I never felt like I was listening to the same stuff. It was fresh, relevant to the flow of the book, and compellingly written. Some reviewers felt the book didn't offer much beyond the basic explanation of scout mindset. I disagree.

This book lays out a journey that only begins with understanding the advantages of scout mindset. If you stop paying attention there, you've missed the entire point. I've always thought of myself as a pretty open-minded person, but that's not quite the same thing as having a scout mindset. I'm happy to say my way of thinking was changed by this book.

It's also worth saying that the author did a great job with the audio recording. After watching her on YouTube, I couldn't imagine hearing anyone else read this. Her words sound best in her own voice.

Accessible and practical, this is now on my very short list of books I would recommend to anyone. Julia Galef, thank you for writing (and reading) this book!

Timely and Important

I'm a big fan of Julia's work and couldn't wait for the book to come out. It didn't disappoint. It's covering a complex, unintuitive subject; yet, it is surprisingly easy to listen to and understand. The narration is wonderful. The author has a very pleasant and calm voice. If you like reading books like The Righteous Mind or Moral Landscape, this is a must read. The book is well-organized and stays on subject. It explores a unique viewpoint of a Scout who is interested in discovering the truth, as opposed to the typical mindset of a Soldier, who is interested in proving a point. In our polarized social environment this book can help us understand each other better and make better decisions for us and our families.

A nice and open way to explore a mind set.

The book is a great read for those who love self improvement. The author's approach of explaining the mind set with the use of the mindset, lead to me having desire to want to learn in the same way. The author also touches on her own faults in this mind set, and being a example of what the mind set is through out the story. I have a great appreciation for this book, and hope others give this book a consideration when looking for one.