Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

by Steven Pinker

The rise of political sectarianism in the United States is commonly blamed (like everything else) on social media, but its roots lie deeper. They include the fractionation and polarization of broadcast media, with partisan talk radio and cable news displacing national networks; gerrymandering and other geographic distortions of political representation, which incentivize politicians to cater to cliques rather than coalitions;