A very accessible, well-written overview of the current views that emotions are in integral part of rationality. While the information is not exactly new, this book is well researched, documented, and organized with a narrative structure that makes it easy to understand. If you are interested in improving your thinking, helping your clients improve their business performance, or understanding why machines cannot think like people, you must get this book. Seriously, everyone who owns a brain should read it.Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate or we "blink" and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box, they’re discovering that is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason—; the precise mix depends on the situation. The trick is to determine when to lean on which. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences...His goal, to answer two questions: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?
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Jim,
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI)? It's a tool based on the observations of Carl Jung. He observed that humans have "preferences" in the way they view the world, process information and make decisions. In an effort to avoid a lengthy tangent, suffice to say that Jung observed that humans are either "Thinkers" (they make decisions relatively dispationately using their heads) or they are "Feelers" (They base their decisions based on the impact the decision will have on others. ie. using their heart). Jung believed that we are all able to function as either a thinker or a feeler, but that we are most comfortable when making a decision using our preferred method. It's very similar to signing your name using your preferred hand vs. your other hand. You can do it, it just takes more time and effort and the result may not be as good.
I'm not familiar with Lehrer's work, but I suspect that Jung would argue that it varies from individual to individual and depends in part on how practiced the individual is at making decisions using their non-preferred method.
Roger Kirton, MA
This book is really an explanation of the brain science of the last 50 years. This will expand Jung's view somewhat. The fact is that both always operate at the same time...the key is recognizing the situation and what our preconceptions are about it. You really should read it.
ReplyDeleteAs for MBTI, I am an ENFJ/P.
I would have guessed ENTJ. In hindsight your threat to delete comments that you "feel" are offensive, should have given you away. I'm an ISFP. I'll check out the book.
ReplyDeleteClick the Amazon link in the article, if you order from them, I get a finders fee :-)
ReplyDeleteI think I am an ESTP whatever that means! I took it at a Corporate Team Builder meeting at Verizon.
ReplyDelete