Rethink
The Surprising History of New Ideas
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
‘Clever and entertaining.’ Sunday Times
‘Elegantly written and full of surprises.’ Daily Telegraph
‘Always entertaining and often eye-opening.’ Financial Times
Old ideas that were mocked or ignored for centuries are now storming back to the cutting edge of research and informing the way we lead our lives. In Rethink, Steven Poole explains why today’s chess grandmasters, quantum physicists and psychologists are mining the last 2,000 years of history for answers to the problems of the present. He explores how long-neglected thinkers could transform our everyday lives: from improving the way boardrooms operate, to inspiring grand projects for social and political change. And above all, he shows that by rethinking discarded ideas we can each gain a better understanding of the world – and perhaps be better equipped to change it.
‘A whirlwind of discovery … Among the greatest compliments you can give a book is that it helps you to see things differently.’ Guardian
‘When it comes to describing a complex idea clearly, Poole is one of the best writers around.’ Sunday Times
‘Fascinating … Poole confirms his standing as one of our liveliest and most thought-provoking writers on science and technology.’ Spectator
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Guardian columnist Poole (Trigger Happy 2.0) explores the ways ideas are adapted, amended, and abandoned over time, and considers where the human capacity for rethinking might take us in the future. Poole represents human understanding not as a linear trajectory but rather as "a wild roller-coaster ride full of loops and switchbacks." In the 21st century doctors are reconsidering the benefits of leeches and shock therapy, and ideas ahead of their time, such as a 1965 invention similar to the e-cigarette, come back around. Poole champions thinkers who have fallen by the wayside, including pre-Darwin evolutionist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Copernicus's rival Tycho Brahe, and considers current theories that may eventually gain ground, such as Rupert Sheldrake's controversial "morphic resonance" theory of collective memory. The most entertaining chapters concern "zombie" ideas, which reemerge despite being demonstrably false, such as the belief that the Earth is flat, and "placebo" ideas, which are useful without necessarily being true, such as the contested theory that alcoholism is a disease. Poole rounds out the discussion with ideas currently undergoing an ideological makeover, such as eugenics (newly relevant due to innovations in gene-editing techniques), and predictions of the most promising ideas for the future. Poole covers a remarkable amount of ground in the history of Western thought, from ancient Greek philosophy to modern warfare. With the exception of some mind-bending theoretical physics, the book is remarkably accessible and well-organized. Such a cross-section of material guarantees there is something here for everyone.
