This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking

By John Brockman

Book Overview

Featuring a foreword by David
Brooks, This
Will Make You Smarter presents brilliant--but accessible--ideas
to expand every mind.

What
scientific concept would improve everybody's cognitive toolkit? This
is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to the world's most
influential thinkers. Their visionary answers flow from the frontiers of
psychology, philosophy, economics, physics, sociology, and more. Surprising and
enlightening, these insights will revolutionize the way you think about
yourself and the world.

Contributors include:

Daniel Kahneman on the "focusing
illusion" Jonah Lehrer on controlling
attention Richard Dawkins on
experimentation Aubrey De Grey on conquering our
fear of the unknown Martin Seligman on the
ingredients of well-beingNicholas Carr on managing
"cognitive load" Steven Pinker on win-win
negotiating Daniel Goleman on understanding
our connection to the natural worldMatt Ridley on tapping collective
intelligence Lisa Randall on effective theorizing
Brian Eno on "ecological vision" J. Craig Venter on the multiple
possible origins of life Helen Fisher on temperament Sam Harris on the flow of thought
Lawrence Krauss on living with
uncertainty

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00BG7H496
• ISBN13: 9780062109392
• Release Date: February 2012
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I really dug this one.

This is an excellent book if you enjoy learning about lesser-known scientific concepts and ideas. Every brief entry (most are only 2-4 pages long, while more than a few are 1-2 pages) explains a unique and novel idea in language anyone can comprehend - without patronizing, condescending, or otherwise insulting the reader.