Think

My recent leisure reading is Daniel Kahneman’s Thining, Fast and Slow.

Daniel Kahneman is a winner of Nobel Prize in Economics, and, by and large, this book summarizes decades of his research.

Kahneman's general idea is simple: There are two systems – or, to be exact, two modes – of our thinking. One system is fast, instinctive and emotional, while the other is slow, logical, a laborious. I must say the idea is not new to me – it has been described in quite some detail in Daniel Goleman’s bestseller Emotional Intelligence – and, in fact, has a neuroanatomy basis (the archicortex of the hippocampus and limbic system versus the neocortex of the cerebral hemisphere). The brilliant contribution of Kahneman is, however, his work on how human beings make choices, especially on various aspects of cognitive bias and how we value benefit and risk.

My comment? Very simple. Before I finished with one-third of this book, I decided to read it again some time later - with a writing pad ready for taking notes.

Or, I dare say, it is not an honor of Daniel Kahneman to receive the Nobel Prize - it is the honor of the Prize to have such a recipient.