Cover of Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
Psychology & decisions

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

The Power of Knowing what You Don't Know

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«Think Again» by Adam Grant champions a cognitive skill that institutions and organisational cultures systematically penalise: the ability to update one's beliefs when evidence changes.

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Psychologist Adam Grant champions a forgotten cognitive skill: the ability to question your own beliefs and update your views in the face of new evidence. He argues for a scientist's mindset over a preacher's, showing how the best investors, leaders, and teams are those who most actively revisit their own theses.

Our review

«Think Again» by Adam Grant champions a cognitive skill that institutions and organisational cultures systematically penalise: the ability to update one's beliefs when evidence changes. Grant, an organisational psychologist at Wharton, argues that in a world of accelerating change, the capacity to rethink — not merely to think — has become more valuable than intelligence or accumulated experience. The book alternates psychological research findings with concrete cases spanning crisis negotiation, political debate, and business decision-making. One of its most useful arguments for investors is the analysis of the «rethinking cycle»: how the best thinkers combine a scientist's openness with a student's humility. The honest critique is that the book is verbose — some chapters repeat the same idea through different examples — and that the investor-specific implications require the reader to draw their own conclusions. The original English edition was published in 2021.

Who it's for

Recommended for any professional who makes decisions under uncertainty and wants to understand the cognitive biases that impede belief updating; highly applicable to portfolio management.

Key takeaways

  • Active rethinking — not blind perseverance — is the most valuable cognitive skill in high-uncertainty environments.
  • The high-quality thinker adopts a scientist's mode: formulating hypotheses, seeking contradicting evidence, and updating conclusions without excessive emotional cost.
  • The Dunning-Kruger effect and identity fusion with one's own beliefs are the primary obstacles to effective rethinking.
  • In investing, the ability to recognise a thesis is wrong — and act accordingly — is more valuable than the skill of constructing the original thesis.
Fact

Adam Grant is a professor at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania); the book was published in English in 2021 (Viking).

Topics Adam Grantpensamiento críticosesgos cognitivoshumildad intelectualdecisiones