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Title: Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions
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Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $6.99
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| Customer Reviews: |
| Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult The science of "what was he thinking?!" | | Montague makes connections in this book that I have not read elsewhere. He postulates that the drive to conserve energy -- to be efficient -- is what drives all living things. He then carries this notion into brain science. He presents that we compress and encode information as a means for being efficient. That is at once extraordinarily helpful and a source of bad decisions. In order for "efficient" concepts to have purposeful import in an external, physical reality, they have to be decoded. I love the example he gives of printing instructions for, and a flat-relief model of, origami. The information is there to create a paper crane, let's say. But, when given to his dog, he just licks it and walks away. It takes more than a mere conveyance of information. It takes an ability to model that information. Montague also goes on an interesting exposition of how goals set up by the human brain can veto more logical and sound goals. Neurochemically, dopamine can become associated with some ideas. Therefore, their pursuit takes high priority. The Heaven's Gate cult demonstrates that this is not always a good thing. In fact, there are so many things going on which contaminate one's ability to make sound decisions and Montague goes deeply into some of them. It is a fascinating journey. But, by the end of the book, I'm not sure that I was left with anything other than the idea that we are all more or less sleepwalking. Actually, that was the reason why I picked up the book. It's more of a scientific explanation as to why people make stupid decisions. | | Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult Why? Because it's AWESOME!!! | Read Montague is a G.D. brain science genius! If I were on "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" he'd be my life line! Come on! With a name like READ, he's got to be smart (though it should be "Head" -- have you seen that giant cranium? "It has its own weather system")! He thinks more thoughts by 8am than most of us do all day! How many brain scientists do you know who can do a standing broad jump across an 8 foot conference table? He was the 1981 SEC Decathlon Champ! The guy is a FREAK of nature! Plus, he's the only scientist I know of who has his portrait hanging in the lobby of a top New York hotel.
Why Choose This Book? The answer could be because if you don't, Dr. Montague will kick your as* -- but the right answer is because he does a great job of putting neuroscience into layman's terms so you and I can understand it better. | | Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult Interesting, yet vague | | I found the book to be interesting, presenting many ideas about cognitive function that seem novel and even new. However, they were presented in a vague way with too many details glossed over. I understand the need to "dumb things down" for a wider audience, but it seems as if this went too far. The author is obviously very knowledgeable in this field and he is going out of his way to make the material accessible. This is where the problem lies, the feeling I got when reading this was that I was being treated like a little kid. I still would recommend this book to anyone who asks because it was a quick read and does give a nice overview of what is currently known and what is being worked on. | | Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult An Interesting Book | | I really enjoyed this book, because I am interested in the brain and why we make decisions. Overall it used language I could understand, and made great connections between the anatomy of the brain and the structure of the mind. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in why we choose what we do and what the brain has to do with it. | | Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult Deep information on the working of the brain | | This indepth study of how the brain works is written so that the average person can understand it. Dr. Montague is an amazing author to be so knowledgeable and able to bring the information down to easily understood language. Everyone should read this. | | Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions by Dutton Adult Product Description | To the list of writers connecting mainstream readers and cutting-edge science—Malcolm Gladwell, Steven Johnson, James Surowiecki—add Read Montague, with this exploration of what exactly determines the choices we make.
With a new perspective on the science of decision-making from the researcher at the center of the computational neuroscience revolution, Why Choose This Book? shows what the latest brain science reveals about the crucial events of everyday experience—the choices we make. From how we decide what we consume to what kind of art we like, and even the romantic, ethical, and financial choices we make, Read Montague guides the reader through a new approach to the mind with an accessible style that is both entertaining and illuminating. In taking apart the mind’s decision-making machinery, Montague first illustrates how our brains are like computers that are slow, small, fuzzy, and cheap—and began with goals like food, water, and sex. Second, he reveals how simple goals like these then turn into ideas like beauty, love, and terror with a life of their own. Finally, he explains how a value system in our heads controls those ideas so we can make good decisions—and how that physical system can break down leading to bad decisions, addictions, mental illness, and even large economic disasters. |
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