Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?
The general argument of the book talks about how to gain control of conflicting parts of your brain. It talks about how there are two systems in your brain that try to take over situations, which ends up skewing your perception of things. The book talks about cognitive approaches that will help you deal with these situations.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
Entrepreneurship is a very broad topic. It requires an accumulation of many skills that you learn and develop throughout life. Understanding how to perceive and handle situations is a truly important attribute for entrepreneurs. The book teaches skills that will help entrepreneurs make decisions and properly face conflict.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
The book explains how the two systems of your brain function. How one side is instinctive and the other is analytical. Sometimes you think you can answer with instinct because it seems obvious but you really need to further analyze the situation. A good exercise would be to give the class hypothetical situations that seem obvious and see if the class just to a quick instinctive solution or if they analyze the situation and correctly solve the problem.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
This book truly made a lot of sense and was extremely logical. One section specifically truly stood out to me. It explained how when you are faced with a situation or problem you think it is the most important thing in the world, but in reality, you only think it is the most crucial because it is what you are currently thinking about. I related to that statement on many different levels. I've recently been stressed out with lots of assignments and tests. Due to the fact that those are the things I am currently worried about I think that it is the most important thing in my life. I forget that things such as my health, family, and happiness are the more important things in life and that those assignments are just temporary tasks.
Dear Bram,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this project. I chose to comment on your assignment specifically because I read the same book as you and found it extremely entertaining. It is honestly crazy to me how our brain can work in so many different ways. Thinking about things, solving conflicts, or even wondering how to resolve a problem all involve using some sort of you brain. I really agree with you that understanding how we perceive and handle situations is a big plus one to being an entrepreneur. After all, entrepreneurship is all about making decisions - hard or easy ones. Definitely want to read another book by Daniel Kahneman.
Hi, there! This book sounds fascinating and a lot more science-based than I would have expected. When you were describing its main argument, at first the book sounded like it would be more in line with my psychology courses than an entrepreneurship course. Then when I thought more about it, psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior, which are fundamental elements of successful entrepreneurship. I’ve said this before, but if we can understand how we work as individuals first, we stand a better chance of understanding other people.
ReplyDeleteHi Bram,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really great read! I think it is very interesting how the author differentiates between the two sides of the brain, specifically in how he ties those two sides and their functions into the practical usage of this field. I do think he is mistaken in not mentioning the role that the individual plays in all of this. Mastering both aspects of our brains is important, for sure, but many people lean more towards one or the other and may never reach an equal level in both. Equally important, I think, is learning how to do the same tasks with one side of the brain versus the other. Figure out how to master one and you won't even need the other, not that you shouldn't work towards it anyway.