So wait... how do we decide?

In discussing my review of Lehrer's book with my brother, it occurred to us that my previous post was decidedly lacking: in my desire to not "give anything away", I left curious readers stranded with nothing but a link to the Amazon website. While I'm confident that readers of this blog (and I trust there are at least a few) are capable of doing the research necessary to ascertain Lehrer's core arguments, I suppose it would be a good idea to help guide you to them. If you're not looking to actually read the whole book, you can skip ahead to the end of chapter 8 where the author provides a brief summary recapping his main points (Look for large headings, you won't miss it). Additionally, you can watch the following video clips:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jonah Lehrer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Or, if you prefer a more in-depth explanation without the comical interruptions...





Now you can see why I said "this kid's got promise" in my earlier post; it was not to condescend, but rather to note how accomplished he is for someone of such a young age. I'm pretty sure if I worked at a movie theater I'd decide to card him.

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

In the lazy days of winter break, I've taken to reading a fair amount. In fact, I've probably been more productive in my reading than I am while at school. Some of my books I've neglected or all-together abandoned, but a few have sustained my attention through their final pages. Among this select group is Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide, a work of pop-psychology that explores recent findings within neuroscience that help explain the human decision-making process. While this may appear to some as a bland topic for leisure reading, the author successfully utilizes the anecdotal style that has worked for others like Malcolm Gladwell and Oliver Sacks. Similarly, though the book inevitably makes reference to such strange terms as "nucleus accumbens" and "ventromedial prefrontal cortex", it is not without a certain amount of personification that eases the non-expert's exploration of the subject matter. In fact, my main worry in reading the book was that it would be an oversimplification of the science. While this may in fact be the case, I think Mr. Lehrer is probably to be trusted, as he has managed to land writing gigs for Science, the New Yorker, The Boston Globe, and other big name places. For only his sophomore effort - his first being Proust was a Neuroscientist - I'd say this kid's got promise.


Search Amazon.com for jonah lehrer

Response to Arizona Shootings

To say that Jared Laughner's violent acts have roused strong emotions would be a gross understatement. Given the intensity of these feelings and the absurdity of his actions, it is difficult to view him as anything but evil. Despite all of this, I ask that you try to remember that the media cannot accurately diagnose Laughner with an illness of any kind, and that "most people who are violent are not mentally ill, and most people who are mentally ill are not violent" (Richard A. Friedman, M.D.)           http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp068229


Other responses can be found by clicking on the following links:


Don't Jump The Gun On Diagnosing The Arizona Shooter


Crazy Talk: we're too quick to use "mental illness" as an explanation for violence


Five Questions on the Tucson, Ariz., Shootings for Psychologist Joel Dvoskin, PhD



Why Can't the Heroic Intern who Saved Gifford's Life Get Married in Arizona?

An introduction to psychology, free to you from the folks at Academic Earth

This is simply the first of 20 lectures taught by Paul Bloom of Yale University. To find the other lectures, click on the link below:

Watch it on Academic Earth