Thinking, Fast & Slow

[WhoCares]

Read the book? Know the work? Written by nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman (who is also an economist). I picked this up a few days ago. i havent gotten real far into it because it requires some concentration to read, but what I have readnis fascinating. Its about how the brain creates biases and even gives us a false sense of being rational when our thoughts and decisions are anything but. I'm loving it so far because its the first psychology book that really speaks to me. It makes sense of so many things in my life and has given me the keys to finally let go of some things which had me stumped.

Mostly its enabled me to step back from humanity and realise that most of what people say and do has far less premeditation to it than I was giving them credit for. In doing so, it makes other people seem less dangerous. A way to overcome some of my cynicism but giving me plenty more in other ways as I realise how much of what we interact with is autopilot. Now I can take an interest in people without being overwhelmed by their 'stuff'. Can't say its making me love humanity but enabling me to function more easily in the mire of it.

What are your thoughts?

 

[TickTock]

Yes, really good book. It's one of those books that really highlights how stupid we actually all are. Very good to be aware of it - as you say - to have the insight like that. For the same reasons it's good to be aware of argument fallacies in rhetoric and mind manipulation techniques.

 

[HongDou]

I read this book last semester for my Special Topics in Psych class. My class as a whole kind of hated it and thought it was dry, but I for one really enjoyed it. But I guess any psych major would. I think ascribing heuristic processing and the like to System 1 and algorithmic (best word I could think of) processing to System 2 was a pretty smart way of keeping things simple especially.

It's so funny how my mind just doesn't want to do effortful thought processing though...anything that tires my head out is out of sight! Which can be sort of detrimental to me sometimes.

 

[Rasofy]

It's on my wish list. Books that challenge our biases are the very best. People usually do the opposite, and keep reading things that confirm their biases. Which ultimately makes them textbook stupid.

 

[WhoCares]

[MENTION=2165]TickTock[/MENTION] - yeah it was kind of think that....f--k! I do that.... Then I was okay with it since we all do that. It helps me to realise people are evil by default more than they are design. Very few people actually put thought in their evilness. Which is what makes the true villains, villains I suppose.
[MENTION=17131]Chanaynay[/MENTION] - oh is it the dryness that makes it a tough read? I hadnt realised. I just thought I had to concentrate because the material was new. Its kind of funny to me the author has an economics rather than psych background. No wonder I love it, I have a degree in Economics. I realised though why I failed to buy a house in a whole year of searching, i kept looking for the intuitive (aka lazy) buy. Guess I didn't want to be responsible for making a real decision, I just wanted a house to scream 'buy me!'.
[MENTION=13260]Rasofy[/MENTION] - its funny you say that because when I bought this book (the pondered choice) I also bought another book (the intuitive choice), the 2nd book I bought is rubbish. The literary equivalent of McDonalds, the kind of thing I would normally tear through in a matter of hours. A paperback session of mental masturbation. I'm a bit embarassed to have it with me actually. Note to self - Stop reading that shit.

 

[Rail Tracer]

Don't think I have, but I have read about psychology in relations to government so it may be similarly related. It's called Introduction to Political Psychology.

Some words like cognitive biases, heuristics, schema, and Ultimate Attribution Error (off the top of my head) were used in the book. So the book uses a lot of psychology terms that a psychology major will already be familiar with. (It sucks that this is the only political psychology course offered... but the government department in my college isn't getting any bigger.)

The grand scheme of everything is that everyone makes mental shortcuts (heuristics.) These mental shortcut create biases in us, whether we are aware of them or not.

It has allowed me to understand people's minds as well as understand my own when I do notice it occurring. But hey, I make mental shortcuts a lot whether I notice them or not anyways.

I'm very much interested in things like PR, ads, campaigns, image theory and such, so that may be a reason why I am interested in it.

But am I evil for being interested in my mind and other people's minds?

 

[garbage]

Excellent freakin' book.

Everyone has a quick-shorthand-intuitive-gutfeeling part of the brain and a slower-cautious-methodical-rational one. For that alone, it should almost be required reading for anyone who wants to participate in any typology forum ever.

 

[Galena]

Haven't read, but it sounds credible, and I'm glad it exists. This is something I've intuited for many years and been frustrated with others not realizing it.

 

[Rasofy]

[MENTION=13260]Rasofy[/MENTION] - its funny you say that because when I bought this book (the pondered choice) I also bought another book (the intuitive choice), the 2nd book I bought is rubbish. The literary equivalent of McDonalds, the kind of thing I would normally tear through in a matter of hours. A paperback session of mental masturbation. I'm a bit embarassed to have it with me actually. Note to self - Stop reading that shit.

Been there, so I feel ya. Not sure if you read that one, but if you want a book that masterfully teaches the importance of taking risks, I'd highly recommend 'The Zurich Axioms'. Quite inspiring.