What The Hell Are They Thinking? : The 100 debates that govern your life, written in a way that tells both sides of every story.

by Daniel Ravner (Editor ), Rachel Segal, Julian Bonte-Friedheim

How well are you keeping up with the hottest topics in our world today?Should we legalize marijuana?Are the Kardashians good or bad for feminism?Is happiness a choice?Is Federer the best tennis player of all time?Should we raise taxes on the rich?Are vaccines safe for kids?Is there life after death?What the Hell are They Thinking features 100 hotly debated topics that govern your life and covers politics and government, economics, popular culture, sports, health, religion, and more!Constructed using a unique psychological writing methodology designed to open minds by reducing media biases, echo chambers, and filter bubbles, What the Hell are They Thinking offers a uniquely approachable and user-friendly way for busy, yet open-minded individuals to get a more complete understanding of what’s being discussed in our world today.What the Hell are They Thinking is the first book from multi-award-winning website The Perspective and is a collection of site's most popular, most engaged with “Big Debates” -- with 30 new ones added exclusively for the book’s release.The Perspective has won several accolades Editors and Publishers Eppy Award for Best Innovation ProjectHighly Commended Finalist of The Drum Award for Best Editorial News categoryStop relying on other people or media outlets for your information, and instead educate yourself on both sides of every argument with What the Hell are They Thinking.

Genres: Nonfiction

500 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2021

About the author

Daniel started The Perspective because he felt (and still does) that the world he will eventually leave to his three daughters is in a worse condition than the one he inherited from his parents. "What the Hell are they thinking" is his attempt at doing something about it.

Daniel Ravner is the founder of multi-award-winning The Perspective (www.theperspective.com) and its chief editor as well as an award-winning veteran of content, media and marketing worlds. His presentations on digital culture, polarization, and marketing were held globally for organizations ranging from Columbia University to Google.

Daniel won the prestigious fellowship for the Entertainment Master Class and was featured in the Globes ‘40 under 40’ list.

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book refreshing and deeply intriguing. The format of breaking some of the biggest debates in society into opposing opinions is something I really enjoyed. Being able to read and inform myself about conflicting opinions was a fun challenge that I feel has given me a better grasp on certain issues. Understanding the mindset and arguments that motivate both perspectives, especially the one I disagree with, is something that makes me more reflective when deciding how to feel about a certain topic.

It also gave me a better understanding of some issues I wasn't closely acquainted with, for example, the debate surrounding animal testing, which was very interesting. It's just nice to have a clear overview of opposing opinions, from which I can then draw my own conclusions.

Did this book remove my biases? Probably not, but I feel that at the very least I gained some Perspective!

[Shani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be quite interesting. Although some of the chapters weren’t something I was looking to get into, there were a few that I found entertaining and thought-provoking.

For example, the living chapter and the entertainment chapter are both fantastic ones that can be used in more than just debates. I think if you take the time to read them you can find useful ways to start conversations with people in social settings. Perhaps to even spark your own creativity and thought-provoking moments. I love the idea of sparking up a conversation with my die-hard Harry Potter fanatic friends who have strong opinions on the book vs. movies debate. It’s a fun way to engage and give opinions.
Whether you are drawn to the various topics in each chapter or not, it’s a really engaging book. It’s a fantastic way to expand your knowledge and increase your thought process overall. It’s a book I’ll come to over and over. Fantastic read!

[Rachel Segal · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I contributed to this book (I wrote a few of the debates that are featured), I can objectively say that this book introduced me to a new way of looking at the world. In providing different, opposing arguments to topics ranging from abortion and gun control to Seinfeld vs Friends, I found myself curious about and interested in reading why other people think differently than me.

This book is a wonderful window into "the other side" (whichever side it is) in an entertaining, non-threatening, and eye-opening way. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to engage with others and build understanding - something the world needs more of.

[Bryan Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

great concept for a book, overall good subjects and individual chapters that were chosen. well written, but the format itself leads to some pretty weak entries. A dozen different authors all have their bias that shows through and they pick weak arguments to represent the other side of the issue that they have obviously have their mind made up about. So much hopping around between authors also leaves weird jumps in the overall vibe of the book. With a more concerted effort I think this could be a long running biannual (every other year) type of book, but has too many detractions from it in current form.
Written at the height of the pandemic with a strange focus on that which shows through and was oftentimes just wrong in the authors agenda and assumptions. Lots of potential for next round

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the format really missed the mark for writing s book that kinda hoped to mimic the debates. Even without cross examination, organizing the arguments into affirmative and negative constructive sections, followed by rebuttals was truly necessary and logical. I also noticed a lot of strawman arguments and weak points that are super easy to counter. Given that the book has the subtitile "debates that govern your life" I question if topics like Ronaldo vs. Messi or Elon Musk-yay or nay opinions are even relevant. Plus many of the sources seemed to come from random news sites
would still recommend it since it offers valuable starting points for framing and exploring broader arguments and explanations by yourself. I think it is a good workbook for that purpose.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A burst of knowledge

I came to realize that this is not a book you read once, or even cover to cover. Rather, it is one of those books that you pick up, choose a topic within it that feels interesting, dive in, and take it from there.
Although the political discussions initially drew me in, I found myself most enjoying those debates dealing with living. The universal themes of happiness, death, parenting, etc. are covered in a way that allowed me to get some distance and to reconsider my automatic assumptions about them.
I don’t know if “fun read” applies to all debates in this book, but they are definitely an interesting and mind-opening read.

[Quentin Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admired the premise of this book from the off; to take various topical debates in various fields and displayed both points of view from an unbias perspective. Being a fiction author myself, it is a useful guide (as is their website named The Perspective) for constructing counter arguments for my various characters' ideas.

Really interesting. Really digestible.

[Daniel Ravner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my review, but one I was elated to get from one of my personal heroes (no place on Goodreads for editorial reviews)

"This is a hugely important book. As people increasingly cluster in homogeneous groups, the failure to understand the opposing point of view - or, worse, the complete misrepresentation of the opposing point of view - becomes dangerously prevalent." --

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, a columnist for The Spectator, author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense

[jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are like 100 pages of footnotes in this, so it's really not as long as it says.

I did not read every argument in this book.