The End of Thinking?

Re:CONSIDERING invites you to look at what’s familiar from an unfamiliar angle. To consider how we consider things – and how to do it better.

What were you thinking? We all feel entitled to our opinion. Whether it be our take on politics, vaccines, parenting, or the value of religion, everybody wants to have their say – and everybody loves to be right.

But do we know what it means to think well? Covering ‘idiot brain’, lobotomies, the difference between certainty and confidence, the nature of facts, and the virtue of intellectual hospitality, Mark Stephens invites you to consider not just what you think but how and why you think.

Do we think only for ourselves or also for the good of others?

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"For all the education we receive, most adults never think about their thinking. Like breathing or walking, thinking seems to be an assumed skill that, achieved once, rarely needs revisiting. Few of us want to revisit how to think. The point here isn’t that any adult ever stops learning about new subjects, facts or opinions … the modern self is constantly stimulated by new ideas. The point is, do we know how to think well about all this new information? Do we appreciate it when someone asks hard questions of our opinions? Do we care about finding truth, or just being seen to be right?"

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Endorsements

"This clear, humorous and insightful book will help clear up your thinking, or at least help clear up the 'you' in your thinking. Mark writes about the hard questions of contemporary discourse with learning, courage and grace - a wonderful antidote to the vitriol of the culture wars awaits you!"

— Gordon Menzies

Author of Western Fundamentalism & Associate Professor of Economics, UTS, Sydney

"Do I think well? I think so! Hang on – not so fast! Mark Stephens, in his interesting and racy little book, gets us to think about thinking, or, to be more specific; to think about the fact that most of us don’t think – not much anyway, as it is too difficult, and too confronting. Instead, we look for threads which will confirm our prejudices, we are led by intuition, not reason. Additionally, we confuse correlation with causation, we overestimate our own competence, we allow experts in one field to bracket-creep their judgements into areas beyond their competence. Does it matter? Well yes, just as conviction needs to be based on reasonable evidence, epistemic humility is preferable towards those whose opinions differ. Is this book worth the trouble of thinking about? I think so!"

— John Collier

Dr John Collier is Head of St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, Sydney and is transitioning into the role of Dean of Education at Morling College.

"During a time when we are surrounded by conflicting opinions, Mark directs us not to give up on thinking, but to dig deeper into the complexity of important issues with humility. Not only that, but his book reminds us that deep thought is not a purely recreational pursuit, but is instead a way to benefit one's community."