Why do so many of us - including our politicians - stick to harmful ideas? In 1946 Einstein warned that if we don't change the way we think, we are likely to destroy ourselves. He was concerned with nuclear war, but now we face the destruction of our environment and climate change. So what is required to make wise decisions? Rod OConnor, a healthcare researcher and cognitive psychologist, systematically explores the way we make decisions, and shows how to make better ones. It investigates how we explain the physical world, understand people, make personal choices, and apply ethics. Each of these realms uses unique decision processes, and each contains shortcomings. The book describes how we must recognize and control these deficiencies, the most important remedy being the adoption of a powerful value of protecting the natural world. This book won't guarantee our choices are the correct ones, but it may stop us from deciding stupidly. It may even help save us.