How
the accidents of evolution created our quirky, imperfect
minds -- and what we can do about it.
Are we noble in reason? Perfect, in Gods
image?
Far from it, says New York University psychologist Gary
Marcus. In this lucid and revealing book, Marcus argues
that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but a
kluge, a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a
fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind. Think
duct tape, not supercomputer.
Taking us on a tour of the fundamental areas of human
experience -- memory, belief, decision-making, language,
and happiness--Marcus reveals the myriad ways our minds
fall short. He examines why people often vote against their
own interests, why money ca'nt buy happiness, why leaders
often stick to bad decisions, and why a sentence
like people
people left left ties us into knots even though
its only four words long. He also offers surprisingly
effective ways to outwit our inner kluge. Throughout, he
shows how only evolution -- haphazard and undirected --
could have produced the minds we humans have, while making
a brilliant case for the power and usefulness of
imperfection.