The Scout Mindset
The Scout Mindset by Julia Galefby Julia Galef
Shares rank 51 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Argues that getting things right comes from how a person thinks rather than from being smarter, and readers find it a clear, eye-opening account of their own habits.
Argues that getting things right comes from how a person thinks rather than from being smarter, and readers find it a clear, eye-opening account of their own habits.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Helps readers examine their own thinking
“It's been an eye opener and really sets out clearly everything I've been noticing in myself and in the world.”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “To tap into our best selves, I recommend The Scout Mindset (book).”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Claude Design”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Scout Mindsetby Julia GalefThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's been an eye opener and really sets out clearly everything I've been noticing in myself and in the world.”
“To tap into our best selves, I recommend The Scout Mindset (book).”
“Make it a system, not just something you do sometimes.”
“This is my favourite book.”
“In The Scout Mindset, Galef shows that what makes scouts better at getting things right isn't that they're smarter or more knowledgeable than everyone else.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.