Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We know already that our eyes can deceive us, but in Thinking, Fast and Slow we also learn that our minds can deceive us!

Kahneman talks about the two different types of minds that we have - the fast-thinking one (System 1) that makes quick decisions and rationalizes it; and the slow-paced one (System 2) that does rational analysis. However, sending things "back" to System 2 is a costly effort, and it is very easy for us to forget to do that, leading us to oftentimes make decisions that seem irrational on a deeper analysis.

Each chapter is relatively short, with some very good examples backed by research. It becomes a bit overwhelming to think of how many ways there are that we make mistakes in our thinking and planning and decision-making, but by just being a bit more aware of it, we can avoid many of the pitfalls.

I think even if we just learn a little bit, slow down and think about what we decide and why, we will be smarter for it. And hopefully we will be able to make just a tiny bit better decisions!



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Beyond the Culture of Contest

Beyond the Culture of Contest by Michael Robert Karlberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is simply amazing in its analysis and commentary on the current state of the world. Looking at the economic, political and legal systems, how they're tied together and essentially run by money, creating an unsustainable society.

The culture of contest raises us in a mindset that normalizes adversarialism, conflict and contest, and looking at other ways of organizing society and world seems unrealistic and naive at best. Although the current culture of contest has led us to where it has, and we have made many advancements, looking at all the current problems in the world - environment, political and social instability, etc. - it is clear that continuing in this way is not viable, and a new order is needed.

An interesting analysis is made in the last chapter, where a suggestion is made on how to overturn the current order. Michael Karlberg mentions playing a different cultural game and not buy into the culture of contest - the rules are set up so that the ones with the most money will win in the long run - so the mode of operation is to play a different game, and win by attrition. As more and more people will switch over to play a different cultural game of mutualism, support and cooperation, the old order will slowly fall.

Of course, doing all of this is not easy, but we have to start somewhere.



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pretty #light #patterns in the #snow

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And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Khaled Hosseini's book always make me shed a tear or two. This one was no different.

And the Mountains Echoed tells the story of a family in Afghanistan whose events in life scatter them around the world. We get to follow a series of interconnected stories, where the main protagonists of the book weave in and out of each other's lives, for better or worse. Each chapter has an element of sadness and almost despair to it, which is then interwoven with some sort of joy and happiness. There is something gripping in the way the chapter alternates back and forth between past and present, making you want to just continue reading on and on.

As with his other books, And the Mountains Echoed makes me think of our relationships and how we act towards each other. The consequences of our actions go a long way, even though we may not have that intention or foresight. This book really takes an interesting look at it, when the consequences of an act of seeming kindness ends up not working out well for almost anyone.

I highly recommend reading this book, even though it has its heartbreaking moments.



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bye bye Shrine... ♥

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walking the path of service

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Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever wondered if you're wasting your time playing games? Jane McGonigal wants us to believe that we're not, and that we in fact are preparing ourselves for the future, to create a better world. While that may seem a bit too optimistic and over-enthusiastic at first, she does present a good case for why games can help us improve reality - her TED talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1Du...) has reached over 700000 views.

The book is based on research on how to motivate individuals, and provides practical solutions (or fixes, as she calls them) on aspects of games that can be applied to real life. She is perhaps a bit too eager to jump to conclusions with regards to how games are the best embodiment of some aspect of research, there is good reason to believe that a balanced amount of playing games can be useful both for the individual and humanity at large.

Is the book worth reading? Definitely. There are many aspects of games that can be used to apply in our everyday lives, and this book provides many of ideas on what to look for and where.

(This book was actually so enjoyable that I went on to read the appendices as well. Mind you, they were practical tips for gamers, so maybe that has something to do with it too.)



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