Scan barcode
claytell's review against another edition
4.0
Lots going on in here. I need to go back and take some notes.
talonx's review against another edition
1.0
DNF.
Unnecessarily complex language. There is almost nothing about how to actually perceive the world differently (which is what the title claims) and pages and pages of stating the same thing - that we all perceive things differently.
Unnecessarily complex language. There is almost nothing about how to actually perceive the world differently (which is what the title claims) and pages and pages of stating the same thing - that we all perceive things differently.
laurapk's review against another edition
4.0
The book is actually fairly interesting, but unfortunately it didn't teach me many new things. I already knew many of the topics approached, and I thought the author will go in more depth. I would have given the book three stars had it not been for the last two chapters, which I thought were very well written and brought some very good arguments about the importance of changing our minds and deviating.
snoakes7001's review against another edition
3.0
There's some interesting stuff in this book - particularly in the early chapters where Beau Lotto is talking about perception. We think we see reality, but in fact our perception is an approximation based on feedback about what has been useful in the past. The central theme is that by changing our "future past" we can influence our own inner feedback and make ourselves more open-minded and creative. That sounds like it's straying into the murky waters of self-help, but he never really delivers on that promise (or threat!) beyond vague and obvious ideas e.g. living abroad will broaden your horizons.
The book has a number of formatting and layout changes such as odd words in large text designed to trick your brain out of its comfort zone and deviate your mind, but I found these gimmicky and irritating. The blurb promises entertaining illustrations and optical illusions throughout, but there aren't that many of them and nothing that we haven't seen before. Lotto also has a penchant for uses ellipses where there should be a dash or a comma. I found that peculiar foible extremely annoying.
I felt the whole thing got a bit bogged down and waffly from the middle onwards. There are anecdotes to illustrate the points but not enough concrete evidence for my liking. Perhaps this is deliberate as it is a popular science book.
On the whole, if you've never read anything on the subject then there's a lot of ideas in here, but for my money there are better books out there.
I had a copy of this as a Goodreads giveaway.
The book has a number of formatting and layout changes such as odd words in large text designed to trick your brain out of its comfort zone and deviate your mind, but I found these gimmicky and irritating. The blurb promises entertaining illustrations and optical illusions throughout, but there aren't that many of them and nothing that we haven't seen before. Lotto also has a penchant for uses ellipses where there should be a dash or a comma. I found that peculiar foible extremely annoying.
I felt the whole thing got a bit bogged down and waffly from the middle onwards. There are anecdotes to illustrate the points but not enough concrete evidence for my liking. Perhaps this is deliberate as it is a popular science book.
On the whole, if you've never read anything on the subject then there's a lot of ideas in here, but for my money there are better books out there.
I had a copy of this as a Goodreads giveaway.
victorfrank's review against another edition
4.0
This is a deep and complex book about the most complex thing in the universe: your mind. Although the writing can be wordy and overwrought at times, the ideas are some of the most thought-provoking I've ever encountered. One of Lotto's central themes is that you are your assumptions, and most of the time, you don't even know what they are. In order to change the way you see the world and come up with something new, you must challenge and change your assumptions. "Why" is the most important question you can ask, over and over again.
Lotto has a lot of brilliant throwaway lines. For example, here's the best explanation of "understanding" I've heard: "Understanding reduces the complexity of data by collapsing the dimensionality of information to a lower set of known variables."
Some more choice passages:
-"Questioning our assumptions is what provokes revolutions, be they tiny or vast, technological or social. Studying the brain has shown me that creativity is in fact not “creative” at all, and that, at heart, “genius” emerges from simply questioning the right assumption in a powerful, novel way."
-"From the perspective of perception, exercising the free will to re-mean the past history of meanings (i.e., our narrative) changes our future history from that moment on… hence, our “future past.”"
-On the link between intelligence and anger: "And what is interesting and ironic is that the more creative and intelligent the individual, the more difficult it can be to dissuade them from their anger response, since they are better at finding seemingly meaningful connections in what are in fact non-causal relationships, as well as creating internally consistent arguments that support their erroneous position, thus protecting them from the uncertainty of ignorance."
Lotto has a lot of brilliant throwaway lines. For example, here's the best explanation of "understanding" I've heard: "Understanding reduces the complexity of data by collapsing the dimensionality of information to a lower set of known variables."
Some more choice passages:
-"Questioning our assumptions is what provokes revolutions, be they tiny or vast, technological or social. Studying the brain has shown me that creativity is in fact not “creative” at all, and that, at heart, “genius” emerges from simply questioning the right assumption in a powerful, novel way."
-"From the perspective of perception, exercising the free will to re-mean the past history of meanings (i.e., our narrative) changes our future history from that moment on… hence, our “future past.”"
-On the link between intelligence and anger: "And what is interesting and ironic is that the more creative and intelligent the individual, the more difficult it can be to dissuade them from their anger response, since they are better at finding seemingly meaningful connections in what are in fact non-causal relationships, as well as creating internally consistent arguments that support their erroneous position, thus protecting them from the uncertainty of ignorance."
korl's review against another edition
2.0
Confusing writing style (10 million parentheses just like this that could be it's own sentence). Unsure who target audience was. Lots of bold claims not backed up his referenced papers or previous chapters
thedutchyeti's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot say enough good things about this book. Though it sometimes feels lost in its own attempt to explain, it still shines through to allow you to see the greater definition of its aim. This book will literally change you, and after reading it, you will know exactly what I mean. Reading this book has helped me unlock the doors to new ways to see myself and the world around me. This is exactly what the book aims to do, and it exceeded all my expectations. I highly recommend it!