21A: Reading Reflection No.2
What was the general theme or argument of the book?
The general them of the book “Thinking, Fast
and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman is that in our brain they are two individual
systems that are constantly vying over control of our behaviors. These two
systems in our mind are the conscious and the automatic. These two orders acting
against one another initiate laziness in our brain and keeps us from using out
full potential intellectually.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and
enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book connected with our learnings from
ENT3003 because it directly connected how our emotions can cause as humans to
make ill-advised decisions. Kahneman speaks on how our automatic processing
system is impulsive and instinctual, which helps us in certain scenarios like
when walking home alone at night but hurts us in high IQ math problems. Antithetically,
Kahneman enumerates how our conscious processing system in our brain is very
aware and considerate of our surroundings. This part of our brain helps in
situations where we are attempting to juggle multiple priorities.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based
on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
The exercise I would design after reading
this book would be a typical day synopsis of a day-in-the-life at your company
you started up in X amount of years. While working that day, hypothetically you
will encounter many problems and assignments that need to be solved. For the
activity via Canvas, I would say to list out 4 issues that come about that your
automatic processing system can handle and efficiently solve, and 3 problems
that your conscious processing system can solve.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when
reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from
your expectations?
My biggest “aha” moment from this book was definitely seeing
how finite our decision-making process really can be, and how this leads to the
conclusions that we have. For example, with the bat and the ball question that
was posed – I knew it was a trick question, so I tried to slow down and really
think about it but truthfully I still missed the question. This is because my
automatic processing system thought I could answer the question, but in reality
it couldn’t.
Hey Evan,
ReplyDeleteGreat job describing the book that you read. This is a really interesting topic about how our brain contains both conscious and automatic systems. This definitely connects with ENT3003 because I have to break the “lazy” system to get all of these assignments done on time. Your potential exercise for this class would be very beneficial for a new employee or even a student and would allow them to assess the amount of time a day they waste and how much they are using. Great job!
Hi Evan!
ReplyDeleteI have never really thought deeply about these two brain functions before. They were covered briefly in my psychology class but not in the concept of business at all. Your answers to these questions are very intriguing and make me want to read this book! I was very impressed with the activity you presented as it can make you more self-aware and grounded.
Evan,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. I really enjoyed reading your take on it. I also read this book and did a post on it. You and I got the same thing for the general theme of the book. We kind of differed on the exercise. You seem to have a better grasp on the idea you came up with for the exercise because mine was just interviewing people to try and differentiate between the two systems in different kinds of people. I really do like your take on the book. I think it is well thought out and explained. Good job.
Hey Evan!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this week’s blog post! I can honestly say that I have never thought so deeply about our brains. You provided the reader with great detail and information about the book and why you chose to discuss this specific book. One thing I learned while reading your blog post was that our conscious is aware of our surroundings. Overall, great job!
Hi Evan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your second reading reflection. The book you chose sounds very interesting. I have never thought of the brain having two separate systems, however, it makes sense the way the author describes it in the book. I think the assignment you created is very creative. It would teach the students to be more self-conscious and think about how their brain is interacting with different decisions.