Rethink The Surprising History of New Ideas | Steven Poole

Shows what we can learn by returning to discarded ideas, and considering them from a different perspective. This book explains why today's chess grandmasters, quantum physicists and psychologists are mining the last 2,000 years of history for answers. It also reveals how long-neglected thinkers could transform all of our everyday lives.

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 shows what we can learn by returning to discarded ideas, and considering them from a different perspective. He 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. And he reveals how long-neglected thinkers could transform all of our everyday lives - from improving the way boardrooms operate, to inspiring grand projects for social and political change. Including compelling and thought-provoking stories from the worlds of philosophy, science, technology, politics and business, Rethink might just change the way you look at the world. "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). "A fascinating compendium of new ideas that aren't new at all." (New Statesman).