Thinking, Fast and Slow

By: Daniel Kahneman

Narrated by: Patrick Egan

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)

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.

Decision making explained

Quite an undertaking but on the first run, I just took from it what I could. I will definitely buy the hard copy to make many notes or highlights. I wish I knew this before the pandemic. Despite its length, it's well worth persevering to the end.

Complex yet engaging, worth the time invested.

This is not an audiobook to listen to in the background - best suited for a long rail commute or just some quiet hours over a couple of weeks, the ideas presented deserve your full attention.

Patrick Egan's narration is clear and consistent and serves the tone of the book perfectly. Although the audio refers to data and graphs that may not be readily at hand, it's not totally necessary to view all of the facts and figures to visualise the points being made. The text itself is highly approachable; a mixture of interesting anecdotes and fascinating research.

I highly recommend this ebook if you prefer listening over reading and you have the time to devote to focus entirely on this terrific book.

Life Changing / Paradox Shifting

What did you love best about Thinking, Fast and Slow?

At the start of the book I was disappointed but as soon as I understood where the author is going, I realized that this is no ordinary book.
I'm listening to it again back to back to absorb as much as I can

What did you like best about this story?

In detailed examples of mental errors and errors in judgement

Which scene was your favorite?

First one hour of the book I was completely lost and I didn't know what this book is all about. I thought it is about statistics but then it all switched to all my logic errors.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Thinking, Fast and Slow?

Investment

Any additional comments?

I don't know if anyone is reading me review but if you are don't miss out on this one.
A book from a winner of a Nobel prize, worth reading (listening to in this case).

Brain 2 is trying to catch up

Makes me step back and question my responses while understanding why gut feel answer is often correct workwise while totally off in other errors.

Lost me a bit with the statistics in the middle but enough meat either side. A good read.

At times monotonous, but still thought provoking

Thought provoking, with real life applications that you can put to test on your own. The narrator was monotonous at times .

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.