Why We Think What We Think

Our opinions – whether we believe in God or in ghosts, our views on sex or animal rights or immigration, our basic sense of what’s good or fair – are shaped by a breathtaking web of hidden forces. The age-old idea that our views are forged by reason and evidence alone is wrong: we are influenced by everything from the quirks of distant history, through the geology of where we grew up, to the lines of our genetic code.

This astounding book takes us through culture, biology, geography, history, psychology and much more to uncover the hidden DNA of our opinions. It reveals:


why the descendants of rice farmers have different values to the descendants of grain farmers
how our physical appearance shapes the way we see the world – and why conventionally attractive people tend to support the free market
why liberals think pineapple should go on pizza, and why conservatives prefer smooth peanut butter to crunchy
why hot and humid countries favour authoritarian leaders, and drought-prone ones prefer authoritarian gods


Packed with extraordinary stories and counterintuitive discoveries, Why We Think What We Think asks a fundamental question of ourselves. If we are predisposed to our beliefs, how can we escape the bounds of our own perspective? The answer lies in disagreement. Argument is how we reason, how we think our way to a better world. To thrive, as individuals and societies, we need the other side.