Thinking, Fast and Slow

By: Daniel Kahneman

Narrated by: Patrick Egan

The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking.

Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains: System One is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System Two is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Examining how both systems function within the mind, Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities as well as the biases of fast thinking and the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and our choices. Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, he shows where we can trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking, contrasting the two-system view of the mind with the standard model of the rational economic agent.

Kahneman's singularly influential work has transformed cognitive psychology and launched the new fields of behavioral economics and happiness studies. In this path-breaking book, Kahneman shows how the mind works, and offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and personal lives--and how we can guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.

Includes a bonus PDF of illustrations, scientific charts, graphs, and diagrams

Eye Opening

Would you listen to Thinking, Fast and Slow again? Why?

Still listening. Sometimes the chapters have to be rewound. Brimming with insights. As the argument progresses, one sometimes needs to stop, slow-think in system 2, and then restart. The work cannot be praised enough. At every other turn one is reminded of Socrates, whose premise was that the ideas exist in us. They just need to be drawn out by proper application of the mind. This book is brimming with ideas so well presented that once understood, they very easily become system 1 (with some practice of course). Amazing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Thinking, Fast and Slow?

Learning the tools by which to understand and apply the book. This would be the first two hours. One moment is hard to pinpoint in such non-fiction as this.

What three words best describe Patrick Egan’s voice?

The narrator could be better. But its ok. The work is very powerful, and the narrator is good enough. This could be something subjective as well so I don't want to judge harshly. I am enjoying the audio book very much. Thank you.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Several sittings.

Any additional comments?

Very refreshing, original work. Excellent. A tour de force.

thinking : intuitive and deliberate

how to you win the nobel prize in economics ?
you'd think that it would help to be an economist
not so if you're as wise and smart as dan kahneman

can you deflate a theory that has been around for 2 centuries ?
if you do, you might expect some push back and a few enemies
dan kahneman is more than up to the task in his great book

the text is often dense and didactic and academic
it's built to survive the scrutiny of his enemies
he wants to tell you the truth more than make you laugh

people are relentlessly complex,feeble and paradoxical
dan kahneman's life taught him this at an early age
he then applied that wisdom to experimental psychology

all the jargon and descriptions of experiments can be a bit much
cognitive / thoughtful VS. intuitive / perceptive
remembering self VS. experiencing self
slow / effortful VS. fast / automatic
type 2 thinking VS. type 1 thinking
what you don't know VS. what you can see
cognitive strain VS. cognitive ease

lately m. gladwell et. al. have ripped off kahneman's ideas
my bet is that this doesn't bother him too much
he's more focused on the truth and what makes him happy

it takes some type 2 thinking to get through this book
the strain however is more that worth it
the text will likely be the foundation of our policies and lives

G.B. Shaw "... if you are going to tell people the truth - you
better make them laugh - otherwise they will kill you ..."

Keats Concept of Negative Capability "... man is capable of
being in uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts without any
irritable reaching after facts and reason ..."

Interesting topic, but the reader out me to sleep.

Buehler, Buehler, Buehler. Nonfiction is often very dry, so it's up to the reader to keep it engaging. I thought this book was very interesting, but the reader almost killed it. I saw Kahneman's Ted Talk and he is a pretty dynamic speaker. it's too bad he didn't narrate his own book.

Honestly a little slow and repetitive

For me it definitely had some good ideas and explanations but like a movie that was too long it could have been half as long

PROBABILITY VS POSSIBILITY

This is a great book for anyone interested in the difference between intuition and logical thinking and why few people find it easy to make the distinction in their own thinking processes.