Julia Galef is co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality. She is a writer and public speaker on the topics of rationality, science, technology, and design.
Why you think you’re right – even if you’re wrong | Julia Galef (source)
Perspective is everything, especially when it comes to examining your beliefs. Are you a soldier, prone to defending your viewpoint at all costs — or a scout, spurred by curiosity? Julia Galef examines the motivations behind these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information, interweaved with a compelling history lesson from 19th-century France
.
She then goes on to explain the concept of motivated reasoning
:
Finally, when your steadfast opinions are tested, Julia asks
:
“What do you most yearn for?
Do you yearn to defend your own beliefs or do you yearn to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?”
Books: Julia Galef (1)
Videos: Julia Galef (2)
Image Credits: Midjourney
In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. Many leadership approaches still rely on control, expertise, and tools that no longer fit the realities people face.
This week-long immersive workshop brings people together to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience. It is not a training course but a space to slow down, think together, and explore how leadership emerges through dialogue, responsibility, and real engagement.