Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We surround ourselves with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating toward those who challenge our thought process. We think too much like preachers defending our sacred beliefs, prosecutors proving the other side wrong, and politicians campaigning for approval-and too little like scientists searching for truth. Intelligence is no cure, and it can even be a curse; being good at thinking can make us worse at rethinking. The brighter we are, the blinder to our own limitations we can become.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people's minds-and our own. As Wharton's toprated professor and the bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, he makes it one of his guiding principles to argue like he's right but listen like. he's wrong. With bold ideas and rigorous evidence, he investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, bring nuance to charged conversations, and build schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners Think Again reveals that we don't have to believe everything we think or internalize everything we feel. It's an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility, humility and curiosity over foolish consistency. If knowledge bower knowing what we don't know is wisdom.