There is so much interesting research going on about the brain and how our thinking works these days, that if you miss out on the latest and greatest developments then you are missing something truly remarkable.
Fact is, that many of the discoveries that are being made today can have a very real and practical impact on how you conduct yourself, make decisions and solve problems.
In this book John Brockman have gathered tons of talks and articles from big name psychologists, neuro-scientists and philosophers like Kahneman, Ramachandran, and Sam Harris to name a few!
It’s a smorgasbord of science. We get:
.
Daniel Kahneman:
🧠 The pitfalls human intuition and “unconscious” thinking.
.
Daniel Gilbert:
💰🏝 On desire, prediction, and why getting what we want doesn’t always make us happy.
.
Nassim Taleb:
📈 Limitations of statistics in guiding decision-making.
Simon Baron-Cohen:
💪🏻 The startling effects of testosterone on the brain.
.
Jonathan Haidt, Sam Harris, and Baumeister:
😇 👿 On the science of morality and ethics.
⭐️ TAKEAWAY:
Being bombarded with all these fantastic discoveries is a double edged sword: it’s gives a thrilling sense of how science is moving the frontier of human knowledge forward, but at the same time I get a sad aftertaste. As we learn more and more about the underlying workings of the world we inhabit, we at the same time undermine traditional belief systems.
These beliefs (religious or cultural beliefs and superstitions), despite often being or rational, provided meaning and moral direction. Science leaves a hole behind itself that these beliefs used to fill, but never provides any new instructions on how to live. Except, maybe, to continue to eagerly break existence down further and further, with finer and finer instruments.
⚖️ VERDICT:
I can’t see past the fact that I don’t like anthologies. Just like the individual dishes of a buffet can be a feast on their own, there is something about mixing them all on one plate that suck the joy out of the experience. Despite the pedigree of the contributors this book is most suitable as a springboard for further studies! You’ll definitely find something fascinates you & demand further studies!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of 5 stars
Find more great reads on my book reviews page and the Great Books List
