Cordelia Fine is a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Values, Ethics and Agency at Macquarie University, and an Honorary Fellow at the Department of Psychological Science, University of Melbourne.
'Consistently well-written and meticulously researched'
*The Sunday Times*
'In breezy demotic, Fine offers an entertaining tour of current
thinking'
*Telegraph*
'Fine sets out to demonstrate that the human brain is vainglorious
and stubborn. She succeeds brilliantly.'
*Mail on Sunday*
'This is one of the most interesting and amusing accounts of how we
think we think - I think.'
*Alexander McCall Smith*
'A fascinating, funny, disconcerting and lucid book ... by the end
you'll realise that your brain can (and does) run rings around
you.'
*Helen Dunmore*
'Fine, a cognitive neuroscientist with a sharp sense of humour and
an intelligent sense of reality, slaps an Asbo on the hundred
billion grey cells that - literally - have shifty, ruthless,
self-serving minds of their own.'
*The Times*
'Clear, accessible writing makes her a science writer to watch'
*Metro*
'Fine wears her learning lightly, blending facts with humorous
observations. The result is a fascinating insight into how our
minds work.'
*Psychologies*
'A witty survey of psychology experiments demonstrating the depths
of our suggestibility, the irrationality of our reasoning and the
limits of free will.'
*Focus*
Vain, immoral, bigoted: this is your brain in action, according to Fine, a research associate at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at Australian National University. Fine documents a wealth of surprising information about the brain in this readable account that adopts a good-humored tone about the brain's failings without underestimating the damage they do. The brain, she shows, distorts reality in order to save us from the ego-destroying effects of failure and pessimism. For example, an optimist who fails at something edits the truth by blaming others for the failure and then takes complete credit for any successes. The brain also routinely disapproves of other people's behavior (how could he do that?), while at the same time interpreting one's own actions in the best possible light (I would never do that!). The brain also projects stereotypes onto others that reflect prejudicial beliefs rather than objective reality. Despite the firm hold these distortions have on our brains, Fine is not a pessimist. The path to overcoming stereotypes and other distortions of the brain, she says, may be gained through self-awareness and knowledge provided by experimental psychology, a field that explores and exposes unconscious mental influences. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
'Consistently well-written and meticulously researched' -- Alain de
Botton * The Sunday Times *
'In breezy demotic, Fine offers an entertaining tour of current
thinking' * Telegraph *
'Fine sets out to demonstrate that the human brain is vainglorious
and stubborn. She succeeds brilliantly.' * Mail on Sunday *
'This is one of the most interesting and amusing accounts of how we
think we think - I think.' * Alexander McCall Smith *
'A fascinating, funny, disconcerting and lucid book ... by the end
you'll realise that your brain can (and does) run rings around
you.' * Helen Dunmore *
'Fine, a cognitive neuroscientist with a sharp sense of humour and
an intelligent sense of reality, slaps an Asbo on the hundred
billion grey cells that - literally - have shifty, ruthless,
self-serving minds of their own.' * The Times *
'Clear, accessible writing makes her a science writer to watch' *
Metro *
'Fine wears her learning lightly, blending facts with humorous
observations. The result is a fascinating insight into how our
minds work.' * Psychologies *
'A witty survey of psychology experiments demonstrating the depths
of our suggestibility, the irrationality of our reasoning and the
limits of free will.' * Focus *
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
