The Scout Mindset
Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't
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The Scout Mindset
Buy Now for $21.99
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Narrated by:
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Julia Galef
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By:
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Julia Galef
About this listen
Winner of best smart thinking book 2022 (Business Book Awards)
Guardian best books of 2021
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 rationalising 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 we should train ourselves to think more like a scout. 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.
©2021 Julia Galef (P)2021 Hachette Audio UKCritic Reviews
"Original, thought-provoking and a joy to read." (Tim Harford)
"This is a book that will make a real difference in how you think." (Sean Carroll)
"Highly recommended. It's not easy to become (more of) a scout, but it's hard not to be inspired by this book." (Rutger Bregman)
"With insights that are both sharp and actionable, The Scout Mindset picks up where Predictably Irrational left off. Reading it will teach you to think more clearly, see yourself more accurately, and be wrong a little less often." (Adam Grant)
What listeners say about The Scout Mindset
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-05-2021
changed my mindset for good
I think everyone could benefit from reading this book... some people more than others 😒 *looks at my colleagues*
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 19-05-2022
Much better than I thought it would be
Even the most intuitively curious, flexibly minded and unbiased person will enjoy and take new ideas away from this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-08-2022
Be a scout, not a soldier
This audio book had some big ideas, well explained.
The central premise - we often engage arguments from a combative mindset, where we entrench our position, seek compatible facts as ammunition, and fight tooth and nail - which can be a real problem when we're wrong.
Being a scout, on the other hand, keeps us open to new data and points of view, anything that helps us better understand and navigate that map of reality.
The narrator was clear and could be speed to 1.5x without impacting comprehension.
A physical copy could be preferable for some as the book has many references...
That stated, I've been able to rewind and repeat key segments, and the convenience of the audio book can't be overstated.
Well worth your time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jake Paris
- 16-09-2022
Great chaser for Thinking Fast and Slow
Scout Mindset worked to reinforce and structure many of the ideas set out in Thinking Fast and Slow which was more dense and somewhat more abstract. It would be much easier to finish Think Fast and Slow, and imagine that you understand your biases and have cured yourself so to speak. Julia keeps questioning herself and pushing the reader to reinforce mental processes and self checks to lessen the likelihood of blind bias.
In many ways this is a much more practical book but both books are more valuable for having listened the other.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tony Gorman
- 03-05-2021
Will listen to again
This audio book was enjoyable to listen to and informative. I will definitely listen a second time to pickup on ideas I missed first time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 29-11-2021
Articulated powerful ideas and practices!
I loved this book - in a world so divided by opposing beliefs and identities, it offers a practical and generous approach to seeing things more clearly and structuring an identity around intellectual humility and shared humanity. Thanks for collecting these ideas and stories and presenting them so succinctly and engagingly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 14-01-2023
Inspiring and practical
Clear articulation of the theory with good use of examples to illustrate it. Already started putting the practical suggestions into play, and looking forward to sharing the book with my team and peers.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- TmanSyd
- 03-04-2024
No genuine point or learnings
I wanted to like this. It’s sort of meanders through some subjects and examples but doesn’t in my view, make any points or give me anything that I can apply to my actual life.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Gajan Selva
- 05-01-2024
if you're considering this book, you're already a Scout, don't bother.
Essentially a highschool essay with references to Reddit discussion and memes.
Better packaged as a podcast than something you spend money or credits on.
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