A wide-ranging and thought-provoking examination of how and why we think as we do, Habits of Mind is part an examination of how we use our minds in our daily rounds of work and play, part a report on how human thought is understood at the frontiers of cognitive science, and part a reflection on the power and limits of rationality. Mero demonstrates, in his words, "Why it is rational that thinking is not always rational". With humor and learning, logic and playfulness, this book encourages readers to develop habits of mind that will help them think more flexibly, more creatively, more intuitively -- indeed to be more at home in their own minds. In an age of hardening intellectual factions and narrowing sectarian thought, this book ultimately amounts to a declaration of openness, flexibility, and tolerance of intellectual diversity.