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informative
reflective
slow-paced
Quite a good read, though the stories are familiar from other behavioral economics books.
.5 stars. Some of what I did understand I just did not agree with. Read 67(253) pages.
Overall this was a good read with lots of thought-provoking stories related to unconscious biases we all have. I was probably hoping for a bit more psychology and more on the “save our lives” part of the subtitle, but still got a lot of really good insight from this book. There is a great deal of focus particularly on race, which I really appreciated.
I can't really improve on Nikhil P. Freeman's Jul 26, 2011 review, so go read that.
I will just add that my disappointment with this book is probably due to a mismatch between what it is and what I had wanted it to be. What it is: a lightweight, heavily anecdotal introduction to the idea of implicit bias and unconscious decision-making. What I expected: a more in-depth, scientific exploration of the hows and whys. [a:Vedantam|1591693|Shankar Vedantam|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-ccc56e79bcc2db9e6cdcd450a4940d46.png] cites many studies I've seen discussed elsewhere in more detail--which makes this a good book for someone who has literally never been exposed to the idea of implicit bias and its relevance in our private and public lives, and never taken the implicit association test--but he also cites himself, referring to his own reporting on these topics more than I care to see. This is more narrative than detached investigation--if you don't believe implicit bias exists, [a:Vedantam|1591693|Shankar Vedantam|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-ccc56e79bcc2db9e6cdcd450a4940d46.png] won't persuade you; if you do, you already know this stuff and may, like me, be impatient with the storytelling approach. Too much anecdote, not enough science. But in browsing the Notes, you may find links to meatier sources.
The bad news: our hidden brain makes us irrational, racist, cowards and lazy. It can’t ever be turned off, and it’s had a million or so years head-start in training and conditioning beyond our rational brain. The good news: we can make ourselves aware of it, bring it into the light and occasionally check it with a little extra thought and keenly designed systems. Simple enough, right? Guys?
I found it too long, couldn't finish. What I really wanted was instruction on ways to counteract these mistakes our brain keeps making, and he never seemed to cover that at all. I don't want excuses for bad behaviors without ways to improve, and beyond one sentence on an addict avoiding triggers I didn't see any.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
really thought provoking. let me know if you read it and wanna discuss!
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced