When my students grow too dependent on their calculators, I ask them to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives them 2. Students quickly see that since 1² = 1 and 2² = 4, the answer has ...

In a previous post, we considered three of seven "irrational" habits of highly rational people. Here we consider the remaining four, as well as some suggestions for distinguishing the genuinely ...

The importance of recognizing what's rational and what's not If someone was as rational as could be—with sound decisions and many accurate and trustworthy judgments about the world—would we recognize ...

The New York Times has an updated Covid warning for its readers: “Right-wing influencers and conspiracy theorists are stoking fears about mass lockdowns and spreading unsubstantiated new ideas about ...

We all have irrational thoughts, often without even being aware of them. But these irrational thoughts keep us from the success we deserve and the happiness we want. Once you’ve identified an ...

Through the story of the whale ship Essex, novelist Karen Thompson Walker describes how our most vivid fears are often not the most realistic. In Karen Thompson Walker's 2012 novel The Age of Miracles ...

Explore how backward induction helps solve game theory problems by working from the end backward to determine optimal actions ...

(Editor’s note: David R. Sands is off this week. The following is a reprint of a column first published Nov. 22, 2022.) “I won a pawn, but misplayed the position and was totally busted. Then he missed ...

We are not dealing with rational actors down south, but as Canada responds, we must not fall victim to irrational thinking ...