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Title: Strangers to Ourselves : Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious by Timothy D. Wilson ISBN: 0-674-00936-3 Publisher: Belknap Pr Pub. Date: 30 September, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (8 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A good enlightening read
Comment: Presents some interesting ways of looking at our ways of thinking. Complete with reviews of the scientific literature.
Very good ideas and particularly interesting scientific studies behind the ideas.
The thorough nature of the book makes its message a bit redundant and drawn out. Still recommended though.
Rating: 5
Summary: Have you seen yourself lately?
Comment: Strangers to Ourselves is a clearly written and important book identifying the various internal walls impeding self-knowledge and providing advice on how we might enhance our ability to surmount them. The former constitutes the more interesting aspect of Wilson's book. His contention is that "human personality resides in two places: in the adaptive unconscious and in the conscious construal of the self." The latter is often deceptive, the former inaccessible. Much of the difficulty we face in getting an accurate assessment of our self stems the existence of our "adaptive unconciousness," that set of mental processes that influence our behavior "behind the scenes," as it were. For all its important influence, our adaptive conciousness remains beyond the accessibility of our conscious. So, how are we to achieve his second objective; that of trying to improve our self-knowledge? On this question, Wilson does not abandon us, though he does concede that there are limits to what we can do. The development of self-narratives, trying to observe ourselves as though we were outside ourselves (like the mathematician who solved a problem he found otherwise intractable until he managed to transform himself as his friend, John Nash, and approach the problem from Nash's vantage point), and altering our behavior in advance of attitudinal change are among his proposals for deepening self-understanding. In all, an excellent source for the general reader to come to grips with him or herself. I know, if my adaptive unconciousness could reach me, that it would agree!
Rating: 4
Summary: This was good for me, probably also good for you.
Comment: This book it is dealing with a fascinating aspect of human nature that is somewhat less emphasized by many other authors. I highly recommend reading it - (and to the reviewer from Finland: so does Tor Norretranders, see his review in New Scientist). Having read this book, I see differently, more clearly, issues like: How much do we know ourselves? How accurately can we describe ourselves? How much can we predict ourselves? Advice ourselves and others? How much control we have on our decisions?
The reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is that I've noticed the author sometimes misinterpreted data, or at least ignore other possible explanations. Also, is seems that he is frequently swimming comfortably in main stream, not questioning common assumptions that became questionable is recent years. As readers we can easily "inherit" biases. Just a sample: The author suggestion we learn about ourselves from what others think of us. However, as implied from the book itself, others have their own (unconscious) agenda, they have no means, and frequently no desire, to see us in objective eyes. Therefore, I keep (in my conscious mind) a question mark next to the author's explanations, probably a good thing to do with any author. Although this might seem like as a severe shortcoming, the book is nevertheless very enriching. Just by asking the questions and bringing the facts, it gives one a new perspective on oneself and others.
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Title: The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel M. Wegner ISBN: 0262731622 Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: The Geography of Thought : How Asians and Westerners Think Differently...and Why by Richard Nisbett ISBN: 0743216466 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 03 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Intuition: Its Powers and Perils by David G. Myers ISBN: 0300095317 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Freedom Evolves by Daniel C. Dennett ISBN: 0670031860 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 10 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Heuristics and Biases : The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment by Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman ISBN: 0521796792 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 08 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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