Thinking, Fast and Slow

By: Daniel Kahneman

Narrated by: Patrick Egan

Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman's pioneering work that tackles questions of intuition and rationality. Read by the actor Patrick Egan.

Daniel Kahneman, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his seminal work in psychology challenging the rational model of judgment and decision making, is one of the world's most important thinkers. His ideas have had a profound impact on many fields - including business, medicine, and politics - but until now, he has never brought together his many years of research in one book.

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think and make choices. One system is fast, intuitive, and emotional; the other is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities-and also the faults and biases-of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behaviour. The importance of properly framing risks, the effects of cognitive biases on how we view others, the dangers of prediction, the right ways to develop skills, the pros and cons of fear and optimism, the difference between our experience and memory of events, the real components of happiness-each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.

Drawing on a lifetime's experimental experience, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our professional and our personal lives-and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you take decisions and experience the world.

©2011 Daniel Kahneman (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"There have been many good books on human rationality and irrationality, but only one masterpiece. That masterpiece is Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow. Kahneman, a winner of the Nobel Prize for economics, distils a lifetime of research into an encyclopedic coverage of both the surprising miracles and the equally surprising mistakes of our conscious and unconscious thinking. He achieves an even greater miracle by weaving his insights into an engaging narrative that is compulsively readable from beginning to end. My main problem in doing this review was preventing family members and friends from stealing my copy of the book to read it for themselves... this is one of the greatest and most engaging collections of insights into the human mind I have read." (William Easterly, Financial Times)

"Absorbing, intriguing...By making us aware of our minds' tricks, Kahneman hopes to inspire individuals and organisations to identify strategies to outwit them" (Jenni Russell, Sunday Times)

"Profound ... As Copernicus removed the Earth from the centre of the universe and Darwin knocked humans off their biological perch, Mr. Kahneman has shown that we are not the paragons of reason we assume ourselves to be." ( The Economist)

Insightful but complex

What made the experience of listening to Thinking, Fast and Slow the most enjoyable?

It was very insightful on many fronts, eg investments. human behaviour, etc.
However, the audiobook is very long and one can easily lose track.
There is perhaps too much information to digest in one listen. I need to listen to it again to fully comprehend the significance of it all.

Have you listened to any of Patrick Egan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, not that I can recall, but this performance is not bad at all.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me determined to think even more than I already do. Is that an extreme reaction? Perhaps, in today's world, where so few people seem to think at all ...

Any additional comments?

The author is a Nobel prize winner. It shows.

An excellent and thorough review of the subject

This is a fascinating book. This was my first foray into this subject and it had me looking for more books in the same vein. It is content heavy but well written and well narrated. I've just finished listening to it for a second time - what greater recommendation can I give?

Not the easiest read but some fascinating insight Into the way the human mind works

I read this audio book over an extended period of a few months and it was not the easiest read. There are references to diagrams that I did not find (to be honest I did not look as I was always on the move whilst listening). The book has a strong research base and as a researcher myself I am OK with that but the language should be OK to follow. I would have got more out of this book if I had read it over a shorter period and in a circumstance where I could take some specific notes as there are behaviour patters described here which could definitely have applications in day to day life, particularly where it comes to persasion.

Read this 3 times

This book will change your thinking, your relationships and the trajectory of your life. 60 years of wisdom condensed.

great book

One of the best books I've ever read/listened to. Heuristics and logical biases of our everyday life are explained and analyzed.

Forging a better thinker

Where does Thinking, Fast and Slow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The performance of Partrick Egan is synchronizes well with the professorial voice in which this book should be read. The content of the book itself is well above par in relation to the average audiobook, with so many key features of human thinking explored and reasoned in an understandable, rational fasion.

What other book might you compare Thinking, Fast and Slow to and why?

Nothing I can think of so far compares to Thinking, Fast and Slow.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was the demonstration of our brain's intuitive weakness and inability to grasp simple puzzles, as demonstrated by the activities in the books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At a certain point in the book, I truly felt that humans could understand the brain and with enough effort and thinking, make our thoughts better.

Any additional comments?

Great for anyone who enjoys being correct.

Highly informative

[I wanted to give this book 4 stars, but the star sensitivity is rigged. You are welcome to try. Push on the four star just slightly of centre....and you have just give 5 stars. Now you are anchor on a higher score. Now try the same in the opposite direction. Jip, you have to go almost to the very centre to give the lower rating]

Anyway. Good book with lots of informative life lessons. Excellent presentation. Alot to think about. Has great potential to impact your life. Maybe slightly overblown acclamation. Stil worth your time.

Patronizing performer

Would you try another book from Daniel Kahneman and/or Patrick Egan?

No. The content is unorganized and appears to be made in-accessible on purpose.

Would you ever listen to anything by Daniel Kahneman again?

No.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator made dry content that were poorly organised sound condescending and patronizing.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No.

Content is good but loses connect !!!!

Sometimes loses the interest and need to go back to end chapter. Chapters too are small

Behaviors and choices explained.

Was Thinking, Fast and Slow worth the listening time?

Yes. It was a good introduction to various concepts in behavior, psychology, economics and decision-making.