Just because you make mistakes does not mean you learn from them, and just because you're smart doesn't mean you're wise. That's why Jonah Lehrer sings the praises of metacognition (thinking about the way you think). Challenging the long held philosophy that humans should perpetually strive to be rational creatures, Lehrer states a case, with the help of psychological experiments and fMRI machines, that neuroscience has discovered the importance of our emotional and rational minds acting in concert. Some of the information in Lehrer's book can be found amongst various TED talks and on WNYC's brilliant Radiolab. The facts in this book are rich and the writing digestible. You don't have to be a neuroscientist to read 'How We Decide' and some of the information may even seem intuitive, but the studies Lehrer has comprised reveal the interesting desires and patterns of our neural pathways. Lehrer's over-arching objective is to make the populous aware of the cognitive process within oneself, which he sets out to prove will in turn lead to understanding. This cognitive awareness can be used to shed a light on everything from credit card debt and overwhelming shopping decisions to standardized tests and life threatening situations. Lehrer has received considerable praise for 'How We Decide' and was even featured in an interview on the Colbert Report.

posted by: Scott Starrett

" />how we decide by jonah lehrer | The Rathaus

Home » communication »The Rathaus » Currently Reading:

Read: How We Decide

February 25, 2009 communication, The Rathaus

Just because you make mistakes does not mean you learn from them, and just because you’re smart doesn’t mean you’re wise. That’s why Jonah Lehrer sings the praises of metacognition (thinking about the way you think). Challenging the long held philosophy that humans should perpetually strive to be rational creatures, Lehrer states a case, with the help of psychological experiments and fMRI machines, that neuroscience has discovered the importance of our emotional and rational minds acting in concert. Some of the information in Lehrer’s book can be found amongst various TED talks and on WNYC’s brilliant Radiolab. The facts in this book are rich and the writing digestible. You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to read ‘How We Decide’ and some of the information may even seem intuitive, but the studies Lehrer has comprised reveal the interesting desires and patterns of our neural pathways. Lehrer’s over-arching objective is to make the populous aware of the cognitive process within oneself, which he sets out to prove will in turn lead to understanding. This cognitive awareness can be used to shed a light on everything from credit card debt and overwhelming shopping decisions to standardized tests and life threatening situations. Lehrer has received considerable praise for ‘How We Decide’ and was even featured in an interview on the Colbert Report.

posted by: Scott Starrett

Share
Tags: , , , ,
No Comments

Search This Site:

Upcoming Events

Feb 2012
«Jan Mar»
SMTWTFS
 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
 

Comment on this Article:







Related Articles:

Watch: “Karakuri” – A Mini Doc About Traditional Japanese Self-Operating Machines

June 17, 2011

According to the filmmaker Matthew Allard: Japan has always been on the forefront of cutting edge robotics. Its roots can be traced back 200-300 years ago during the Edo period when skilled craftsmen created automata (self-operating machines). Using nothing more than pulleys and weights they were able to make the Karakuri (Japanese automata) perform amazing ...Read More

Read: Morgellons – A Hidden Epidemic or Mass Hysteria?

May 17, 2011

Optical image of what sufferers are adamant are morgellons fibres in skin samples – are they made up of alien ­matter, or are ­everyday materials the more likely explanation? Photograph: Vitaly Citovsky/Suny at Stony Brook I’m not sure which would be weirder –  Morgellons being an actual disease or 12,000 people sharing the same psychosomatic symptoms. Though ...Read More

Artist Shout Out: Kit Leffler

April 22, 2011

“Chameleon Car Graveyard” –  Four-colour serigraph, 77 x 102 cm “Bernard Matthews” – Four-colour photo litho, 42 x 59 cm Kit Leffler is a collagist, photographer, incredible printmaker and an all around great person who The Rathaus is lucky enough to call a friend.  She graduated from the University of Kansas with an Expanded Media ...Read More

Watch: “The Mountain” – Time Lapse Video of the Milky Way

April 18, 2011

via the filmmaker Terje Sorgjerd: This was filmed April 4th – 11th 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain (3,715m/12,188ft) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. ...Read More

Read: The 18 Most Suppressed Inventions Ever

April 11, 2011

Nikolai Tesla, presumably trying to figure out how it all went so wrong Throughout history there have been countless attempts to discourage new technologies only to protect other people’s self-interests. From Gawker’s list of the 18 most suppressed technologies here are two we felt stood out both because of their far-reaching implications and the absurdity ...Read More

Art

Artist Shout Out: Walter Inglis Anderson

Artist Shout Out: Walter Inglis Anderson

By B. Carter

Walter Inglis Anderson was an American painter, writer, naturalist and bicycle enthusiast. Artist Bio: Walter Inglis Anderson was born in 1903 in New Orleans to George Walter Anderson, a grain merchant, and Annette McConnell Anderson, an artist. His mother’s love of art, music, and literature strongly influenced Walter (called “Bob” by his friends and family) ...Read More

Category:

Music

New Music Review: Widowspeak “Widowspeak”

New Music Review: Widowspeak “Widowspeak”

By Tricia Rock

With a Cat Power alto and Mazzy Star whisper, Widowspeak‘s self-titled debut LP embodies the essence of the 90′s. But with band members born just at the cusp of the decade,  singer/songwriter Molly Hamilton, drummer Michael Stasiak and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas offer not a retelling of the 90′s but a new generation’s interpretation of ...Read More

Category:

Fashion

Runway Style: Thomas Tait Fall 2011

Runway Style: Thomas Tait Fall 2011

By Tricia Rock

Canadian-born designer Thomas Tait began his career as the youngest graduate of London’s Central Saint Martins, completing the program at just 21. His graduate collection was then chosen as a feature in the CSM fashion week show for the Fall 2010 season, after which he went on to receive the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize on ...Read More

Category:

Photography

Photo File: Saga

Photo File: Saga

By Tricia Rock

From the photographer: “I am Saga. I am from Iceland but currently live, study and work in London.” See more of Saga’s work on: Flickr The Neverending Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...Read More

Category: ,

Film

Style Watch: Harmony Korine for Proenza Schouler “Act Da Fool”

Style Watch: Harmony Korine for Proenza Schouler “Act Da Fool”

By Tricia Rock

To showcase their Fall 2010 line, Proenza Schouler teamed up with legendary cult filmmaker Harmony Korine to create Act Da Fool. With the influx of short fashion films in early 2010, designers now seem to be stepping it up a notch in the video department – and in my opinion Act Da Fool takes the ...Read More

Category: ,

TV

Style Trends: Beverly Hills 90210

Style Trends: Beverly Hills 90210

By Tricia Rock

With the DVD release of its first six seasons and an updated CW remake, Beverly Hills 90210 has yet again become a source of entertainment and fashion inspiration for girls (and grownup girls) everywhere. References to the show in the fashion world began popping up in late 2006, around the time of the 90210 Season ...Read More

Category: ,

Web

Photo Flash: The Camel Thorn Trees of Namibia, Africa

Photo Flash: The Camel Thorn Trees of Namibia, Africa

By B. Carter

photograph by Frans Lanting, National Geographic Tinted orange by the morning sun, a soaring dune is the backdrop for the hulks of camel thorn trees in Namib-Naukluft Park. In 1990 newly independent Namibia became one of the world’s first nations to write environmental protection into its constitution. Read more about Namibia’s unqiue efforts at land stewardship here. ...Read More

Category: ,

News

Infographic: Sitting is Killing You

Infographic: Sitting is Killing You

By B. Carter

See the entire infographic here Read an article about a Canadian sitting study here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...Read More

Category: , ,

Funny

Funny Video: Charlotte Young’s Artist Statement

Funny Video: Charlotte Young’s Artist Statement

By Harold Johns III

Any artist will tell you, the worst thing about being an artist besides being poor is writing a bullshit artist statement. Don’t worry though, Charlotte Young is actually a comedian and not a depressed artist so don’t feel guilty for laughing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...Read More

Category: , ,