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Title: Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
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Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Co
List Price: $24.00
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| Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co Tantalizing introduction to the ultimate in self-referential activities | This book is a tantalizing introduction to that most self-referential of all activities -- considering the construction of one's own brain.
Author Gary Marcus explains early and clearly his belief in evolution over intelligent design. He then spends the remainder of the book 'proving' his thesis -- that if an omniscient creator had formed the brain, s/he would have done a much better job than the "grew like Topsy" contraption we actually have.
Being unfamiliar with many of the facts he presents and the studies he mentions, I found the information interesting and easily digestible. Certain chapters were more intriguing and accessible than others: the chapter on language and linguistics made me fall asleep while the chapters on the fact that we naturally prefer the familiar/default option and the role of the value of quick decision-making for survival which focuses on immediate gratification over deliberative choices were fascinating.
I wish more details or discussion had been given in this slim volume on issues such as homosexuality and non-procreative sex in general (along with behaviors such as drug use and other risk-taking behaviors) that occur naturally but which do not fall within the evolutionary-deterministic boundaries of procreation and survival.
As a layperson with a basic but no doubt outdated familiarity with the human brain, I found the book a relatively easy read, but one which required attention (in other words, I had to force that primitive part of my brain focused on immediate pleasure to turn away from American Idol and actually engage with the book). | | Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co It works . . . but you can fix it! | "If it works, don't fix it!", runs the old adage. Any engineer will tell you, however, that this is false confidence. What works today may not work tomorrow when conditions change. Animal brains worked for many millions of years. Then Homo sapiens arose somewhere in Africa with an enlarged, busy brain. Combined with walking and handiness, that brain accomplished - and still accomplishes - wondrous things. Until you wonder where you left your car keys. Gary Marcus, in this fluidly written review, backed by a wealth of references, explains how the workings of our brain have been built up over time, with bits added or enhanced through the ages. It makes us a unique species, but it's anything but a fine design. Instead it's what engineers call a "kluge" - an inelegant, marginally efficient product of evolutionary bits cobbled together well enough to get the job done.
Using the fact of our brains having an evolutionary foundation, Marcus shows how Shakespeare's and the Bible's depictions of the brain are flawed. We have poor, erratic memories, we make irrational decisions, and we'll believe things that are patently untrue - sometimes with real tenacity. Our brains are built up from very ancient structures, probably using the same processes, with added complexity developing over time ["This worked last time, but it's not working now. Cobble something up to fix it."]. Knowing that readers might be overwhelmed with data overload [our memories can't handle it!], the author focusses on a half-dozen aspects of brain "design" demonstrating the positive features and the shortfalls. Memory, Belief, Choice, Language, Pleasure and "Things Fall Apart" - distractions. In each case, he explains how the system is usually depicted, what might be the ideal process, and how it actually works.
The opening segment on Memory lays the groundwork for the entire book. "If evolution is so good at making things work well, why is our memory so hit and miss?" Marcus compares human memory with computer memory. Nothing is lost on the computer's disk and any stored information can be retrieved. It was clearly "designed" for that task. Human memory, on the other hand, lacks access, lacks specificity, lacks reliability. We can retrieve old memories, but can't recall what we had for dinner yesterday. Nor can we assume that old memory, which seems so vivid, is valid. Marcus describes computer memory as "postal code" memory due to the system's design in making an "address book" used to find data. Human memory, along with that of other animals, is "contextual" - recollection comes within a frame of reference. That might be good or bad, depending on the circumstances, but it's hardly reliable or consistent.
The author's use of comparison in memory is followed by similar scenarios in the other sections. Language is particularly vague and imprecise, why does each language have its own version of the sound of a dog's bark. Yet, our brains allow us to work out meaning in contextual ways. Choice seems to be one of the most irregular mechanisms in our brains, since we continue to avoid shifting from decisions resulting in long-term benefits for short-term gains. Those limited scope decisions likely have links with the brain's pleasure centres, hence the current rise in addictions - even video games take time better spent at exercise or learning.
The conclusion of this book may come as a surprise. The unthinking may tend to see this section as one of those "self-help" manuals so common today [and which are designed to overcome the "kluge" aspects of our minds]. Here, Marcus is able to line out a set of recommendations for improving how we use our brains. He recognises that the idea of the human brain as a kluge will find little appeal with some people. That's a prejudice that must be overcome. Evolution, he reminds us, has produced things of tremendous beauty. If the brain falls short, it has the capacity to examine imperfection and understand it. More importantly, those imperfections of the brain can be addressed. Who is capable of that? You are. Don't miss this book. It's about you. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
[NOTE: As the Amazon Vine programme doesn't ship to Canada, this reviewer thanks publisher Houghton Mifflin for providing an ARC of this book] | | Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co "Engaging Book, but Unproven Conclusions" | Gary Marcus, NYU Psychology Professor, offers a fascinating look at the often patchwork design of the human mind -- how evolution has adapted the millennia of biological, environmental and psychological experiences to the current state of humanity. The work is imminently useful from a purely scientific perspective in exploring how man has developed (and continues to develop) as well as how we can use our "haphazard" biological structure to gain greater insight into the workings of an imperfect, yet continuing evolving species.
The failure of the book is in the strident conclusions made by the author concerning the existence of God in either theory or reality. There is major "jumping to conclusions" between the nature and occurence of evolution and the existence of God. In particular, he offers the "imperfection" of humanity (by the arbitrary standards of a scientific approach akin to engaging in an engineering or a construction project) as evidence that evolution, not creation is the sole force in the universe. This does justice to neither the concept of creation, nor of the unfolding miracle of evolution.
The reality is that creation and evolution are not incompatible, particularly if one considers the former as an ongoing process rather than the singular event expressed in the poetry of Genesis. In the unfolding drama of Creation, one can see the guiding hand of God (or, if you prefer, the Creator, First Cause, etc.) in both the beauty and logic of science, which is manifested in the great gift of evolution as explored by scientists, philosophers and theologians, whose work is not mutually exclusive.
One believes in God ultimately through revelation and faith, but one can also come to a rational exposition of God through the use of science and reason. Science can be an obstacle to faith if it views the latter as a primitive concept or superstition used to explain the unexplainable. At the same time, faith can remain an obstacle to reason for those who seek to deny the human potential inherent in the ever unfolding miracle of science and knowledge. In a sense, faith deals with mysteries of nature, while science deals with unlocking those mysteries. Moving forward requires that both persons of faith and science recognize the limitations of their particular points of view to synthesize an approach to humanity that offers the possibility of both current understanding and the ever-present reality that remains beyond that understanding. An open exploration and dialogue cannot help but advance the understanding of humanity both in relation to both nature and eternity. That some things are beyond our current scientific understanding does not mean that they do not exist. Similarly, scientific truth should not threaten our faith, unless that faith is rooted in ignorance and prejudice.
Nevertheless, KLUGE does provide a rational explanation of how the human mind works. I would recommend that those interested in exploring how faith and reason (creation and evolution) are compatible, also explore Christoph Cardinal Schonborn's recent book, Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution and a Rational Faith for a comprehensive and intelligent synthesis. One can remain a person of faith, while recognizing the inherent truth and beauty contained in scientific inquiry as a natural consequence of evolution. | | Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co Time to reread! | | My original review was a 3 star review, but after reading the other reviewers perspective, I decided to reread portions of the book and yes, now I do see more than I first did! Take your time reading this one and really think it through. It's not a book to read with 100 things going on around you. Take a quiet spot and enjoy! | | Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co Back to the Drawing Board | So Gary Marcus has a brain. The mechanisms of his brain makes value judgments on standards of what is best for a human, and how a human's mind should best operate to attain those standards. Then Marcus (with the help of his brain) examines the human brain in general and discovers that it does not best attain the standards he and his brain have established for human idealness. Marcus (also with the help of his brain) then determines that all brains are flawed, created in piecemeal over time, with retrograde mechanisms to meet different and conflicting needs, rather than designed at once to attain an ideal (i.e. his ideal).
Before I break down this argument, here's some disclosure on my background and possible biases. I'm a Messianic Jew who is skeptical on evolution, and particularly human evolution. That doesn't mean I definitively believe humans did or didn't evolve from lower beings, or that believing or not believing so is necessary to my worldview. I believe the Bible is definitively true, as shown by inerrant Biblical prophecy, efficacy of God's commandments, and large amounts of anecdotal evidence of miracles--both past and present. In other words, there's enough evidence to make the case of Judeo-Christianity as true without having to dwell on interpretations of the first and last books of the bible. There is "a" true interpretation of Genesis--whether a young-earth scenario with God's direct intervention, or an old-universe evolutionary model with God letting natural events take their course. I don't care which interpretation is true; it doesn't affect my present well-being or my relationship with God one way or another.
But I am nonetheless skeptical of evolution because the theory as commonly presented is replete with logical flaws: proving too much (evolution explains all biological phenomena), circular cause and consequence (literally not being able to explain whether the chicken or the egg came first), correllation/causation assumptions ("the DNA and appearance of humans and monkeys looks alike, so they must be related") chronicalogical snobbery ("our theory is newer and better than the Bible!"), ignoring anedoctal evidence (just about ancient culture traces humanity back to a divinely created identifiable ancestor, and most are proceeded by a story of a catastrophic flood) and explaining away gaps in the evolutionary record. Just about every attempt I've seen to criticize evolution on these grounds is met with derision for the other side of the evolution: a priori assumptions that critics are engaged in mystical, backwards and illogical thinking and strawman arguments that skeptics are all fundamentalists attacking science in general. These attacks aren't just the products of flamewars on web forums; they're the essence of Richard Dawkins' arguments, and the arguments of others, in reputedly scholarly works. This behavior evinces that the experts don't have answers to this criticism, that they are choosing to believe one side over the other for personal reasons, and that tribal/echo-chamber/groupthink is in play to make them believe that their side is unquestionably true compared to the views of outsiders.
That being said, here's what's wrong with the line of thinking in Kluge:
(1) What should a brain do if it were designed from scratch from God on high? Is a brain flawed for not getting perfect SATs, crunch mathematical formulas as fast as a computer, disipline itself to obediently work 14 hours a day and not want any more food, drink, sleep or sex than is necessary to succeed in a modern world, or do anything impulsive or seemingly dangerous or competitive? Could it be that our brains are not flawed, as much as the modern world in which they are living?
(2) How would the model brain be designed? There are people who's minds function with computer-like efficency, perfection and memory--their called autistics and OCD suffers and have very detrimental trade-offs for having those computer-like qualities, namely to get unfocused when need be. How should the human brain be designed for the perfect mix of focus/openness differently than it is already? The "brain is retrograde" argument is just a variation on Darwin's argument of vestigal organs. Presumably vestigal organs numbered in the dozens in Darwin's day, but gradually were reduced to (maybe) only five or six, and even with those there are theories of why they exist. Until a better brain--and a better human--is built, the idea that humans suffer from design flaws remains only conjecture.
(3) The hand/lever analogy mentioned by another commentator. People design levers to perform tasks that their hands can't do alone. Does that mean that the "hand" is fundamentally flawed, because the lever wasn't built in? If a hand was a lever, would it be a better hand or would the lever qualities take away from dexterity and other good qualities of the hand. In the same sense, could not the human brain be designed to make tools to focus on certain qualities of the mind (e.g writing, recording and encoding tools for memory and communication, computers for calculation) without sacrificing other desirable hard-wired qualities.
(4) Ignoring the possibility that the human brain was once ideal, and that flaws worked their way in. Also, ignoring the possibly that man brain was designed flawed by design.
I like the book because I'm interested in making the mind work better. It's just a same to see that effort tied to an evolutionary model | | Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Houghton Mifflin Co Product Description | Are we noble in reason? Perfect, in God's image? Far from it, says New York University psychologist Gary Marcus. In this lucid and revealing book, Marcus argues that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but rather a "kluge," a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind -- think duct tape, not supercomputer -- that sheds light on some of the most mysterious aspects of human nature.
Taking us on a tour of the fundamental areas of human experience -- memory, belief, decision-making, language, and happiness -- Marcus reveals the myriad ways our minds fall short. He examines why people often vote against their own interests, why money can't buy happiness, why leaders often stick to bad decisions, and why a sentence like "people people left left" ties us in knots even though it's only four words long.
Marcus also offers surprisingly effective ways to outwit our inner kluge, for the betterment of ourselves and society. Throughout, he shows how only evolution -- haphazard and undirected -- could have produced the minds we humans have, while making a brilliant case for the power and usefulness of imperfection. |
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