In this extraordinary bestseller, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading cognitive scientists, does for the rest of the mind what he did for lan...
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Jan 23, 2010
Joshua Nomen-Mutatio
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I think this a great way of addressing a widespread misunderstanding about genetics, biological evolution and human thought & behavior.
Slight background story: I was having a discussion with a guy on goodreads.com within his comments on his review of Why I Am Not A Muslim and eventually it came to this:
Myself: "It’s a categorical mistake to think this about biological evolution. To put it bluntly: our genes are selfish, but we are not (not necessarily, unconditionall More...
Slight background story: I was having a discussion with a guy on goodreads.com within his comments on his review of Why I Am Not A Muslim and eventually it came to this:
Myself: "It’s a categorical mistake to think this about biological evolution. To put it bluntly: our genes are selfish, but we are not (not necessarily, unconditionall More...
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Feb 05, 2008
Rita
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I read all bio-determinist arguments, no matter how sound their science, as a mandate to return to the 50's - those halcyon days when men schnoockered their secretaries while women bought canned foods and tended the young. Nonetheless, I loved this book. The early chapters, especially on the computational theory of mind, are incredible. Pinker is just unbelievably detailed and the linguistic spin he brings to the discussion of cognitive development is a great dimension. The later chapters are
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Dec 08, 2008
Becky
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Very interesting, well-written, and comprehensive. I appreciated the overview of both computational and evolutionary psychology in one tome of a book; computational psychology is pretty much awesome, and though I must confess that I skipped some of the technical examples in an effort to prevent my brain from breaking, Pinker's writing was for the most part clear and explanatory. I learned a lot!
I would be interested to find out whether any of the specific evolutionary theories have b More...
I would be interested to find out whether any of the specific evolutionary theories have b More...
Dec 23, 2009
"http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1289334.html[return][return]I was really disappointed by this book. Pinker starts out by claiming that he will explain the origins of human emotions, aesthetics, and belief in the context of the latest findings of evolutionary and psychological research. He does not really succeed in doing so. It is a succession of moderately interesting research reports, linked together with a glue of neat one-liners (mostly other people's), but without really coming to a kil
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Jan 09, 2012
Ryan
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Very interesting. 20-30 years from now, I think most people will understand that there's nothing "magical" about the "mind", the "soul", religion, art, men, women, or any of the other sacred cows that continue to hold back humans from understanding themselves.
How the Mind Works was published back in 1997, but I didn't encounter any of the points that Pinker made in High School or Collage, up until 2000. Pinker focuses on a "computational theory of min More...
How the Mind Works was published back in 1997, but I didn't encounter any of the points that Pinker made in High School or Collage, up until 2000. Pinker focuses on a "computational theory of min More...
Aug 24, 2011
Ianw19
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How the Mind Works is a dazzling intellectual tour de force that masterfully integrates insights from evolutionary biology, computer science, experimental psychology, anthropology, economics, and the humanities to provide the reader with a mind-blowing crash course in human nature. I'd imagine that this book will inspire many students and other intellectually-inclined people to get involved in psychology/cognitive science. It's unrelentingly thought-provoking and often very very funny.
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Jul 19, 2011
Mikael
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The book does not lack good qualities, but I generally dislike the technique of argumentation that is too often characterized by poor proof backed by a certain arrogance towards alternative explanations. The chapter on the sexes is particularly shoddily presented. The "proof" that Pinker refers to when trying to back his claims that (simply put) evolution and innateness alone explain the differences between the sexes when it comes to attitudes to sex (the male hunter/gatherer has logic
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Apr 06, 2011
Mirek
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'How the Mind Works' is an ambitious book. Pinker addresses an insane medley of topics: if it pertains to the mind in any way whatsoever, it's fair game. This variety of topics discussed is the books greatest strength, but also it primary weakness.
Firstly, the bad: this book isn't clearly connected by an overarching thesis. I suppose everything has to do with 'the mind' - though this is debatable, as there are long stretches where you'll be prone to forget this book is supposed to be More...
Firstly, the bad: this book isn't clearly connected by an overarching thesis. I suppose everything has to do with 'the mind' - though this is debatable, as there are long stretches where you'll be prone to forget this book is supposed to be More...
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Dec 21, 2008
Erik
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Another Stephen, the late Stephen Jay Gould, is the hero of this book for me. Gould pointed out long ago that evolutionary explanations for human behavior are riddled with errors. We observe a certain behavior, then we tell a just-so story to explain how this behavior would have benefited our ancestors in the past and helped them to survive and pass on their genes. Sounds good and 'scientific' at first. The problem is that even if this is right, it isn't proof just to tell a story--you have to d
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Oct 03, 2010
Josh
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I finally finished this book. It took me far longer than I care to admit to do so. On at least one occasion I lost interest and put it down for several weeks before coming back to it.
I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why this was the case. It's not that it's bad - in fact, parts of it are absolutely fascinating. It's certainly not the writing; Pinker is quite good (despite a tendency to repeat himself frequently).
I think it boiled down to two things for me, More...
I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why this was the case. It's not that it's bad - in fact, parts of it are absolutely fascinating. It's certainly not the writing; Pinker is quite good (despite a tendency to repeat himself frequently).
I think it boiled down to two things for me, More...
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Apr 02, 2010
Rafael
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This book first chapters were very easy and nice to go through, but there are a few chapter somewhere in the first half of the book that were not so interesting to me. I don't know exactly what happened but getting through these few chapters took me months. Then the book became once again pleasant and inteligible and went like this to the end.
My highlights are on:
A few pages dedicated on how mathematical concepts and thoughts are processed in our brains.
The di More...
My highlights are on:
A few pages dedicated on how mathematical concepts and thoughts are processed in our brains.
The di More...
Sep 11, 2010
Kevin
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As the title suggests, this is a book of immensely broad scope and ambition, seeking to articulate a broad theory of how the human brain is structured and operates. Along the way, Pinker surveys a number of developments in cognitive science and human evolutionary biology over the past few decades. Topics include how "sight" works (i.e., how the brain interprets the information in a retinal image), the interaction between natural language and the logic of thought, intuitive physics an
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Jan 30, 2009
Alex
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This is an interesting book that - as those who skip the title page may be surprised to learn - describes to us laymen how the mind works. Pinker uses an evolutionary framework to explain not only the functions of the brain but the reasoning for why it works in the way it does. Topics range from the physical to the intellectual to the emotional activities of the brain, although I thought he didn't do a great job exploring the links between each.
Evolutionary psychology has much to tea More...
Evolutionary psychology has much to tea More...
Oct 30, 2009
Mike
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This is really a great book. I've been a fan of Steven Pinker's since the "The Blank Slate", and he does an amazing job of distilling complicated technical subjects in a way that is easily digestible and interesting to a layperson like myself. The first section of the book, which analyzes how the brain is like a computer, is a bit of a slog. In some ways it was the most interesting for me, however, since everything he dealt with was new and cutting edge. If you get through that part th
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Nov 23, 2010
Naxa
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I have now read three of Pinkers books and while this one is not the worst, it doesn't do much better than than the worst. His first two books on language which I have read and reviewed here were both more relevant and interesting to me. Though the language instinct was terribly written and argued, so this book has a leg up in that regard.
This book was probably a lot more relevant when it came out. Unfortunately a lot of the information in it is either dated or too basic to be intere More...
This book was probably a lot more relevant when it came out. Unfortunately a lot of the information in it is either dated or too basic to be intere More...
Aug 17, 2009
Glenn
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I have copies of the five mainstream books that Steven Pinker has released and am slowly working my way through them. He is one of the world's leading cognitive scientists and is a professor at MIT. I really enjoyed his first book "The Language Instinct", so was looking forward to reading his second "How The Mind Works". I didn't enjoy this one as much - at times it read somewhat like a textbook, which I attribute to the heavy subject matter. However, I rated it high because
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Jul 28, 2009
George
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Pinker's "How the Mind Works" revolves around two central themes -- the computational theory of mind and natural selection. In the beginning, he devotes a lot of time and energy to shooting down other theories, which would be fine if he wasn't such a jerk about it. Most of his targets don't really seem to merit all that much energy, and his criticisms become simply a showcase for academic aggression, like a prizefighter working over some random guy picked up off the street. Strangely,
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Jun 05, 2010
Roger
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 15, 2010
Zach
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When it comes to non-fiction, I'm always on the lookout for the next Big Picture Book -- a book with a simple thesis that possesses startling explanatory power into how the world works. For modern economics and culture, there's Naomi Klein's No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs. For world history and ethnography, there's Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. For the human brain, there's this book.
Pinker's thesis is very simply stated: the human brain is an organ designed by natu More...
Pinker's thesis is very simply stated: the human brain is an organ designed by natu More...
Jul 28, 2011
A compelling argument regarding how the mind works that dispels blank slate notions by presenting the evolutionary basis for and purpose of our current mental faculties--that is, we evolved to solve certain problems, and our minds evolved to make certain inferences and perform certain functions, consistent with that path. A reader without a strong science background might have some trouble with the technical vagaries of the evolution of vision and Pinker's "computational theory of mind"
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Jan 24, 2009
Brian
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Alternately technically impenetrable and grossly over-simplified, Pinker nevertheless delivers interesting insights into human behavior. Don't be confused, this book is about how the "mind" works, not the brain. Pinker tackles diverse mental functions from stereo vision to emotions to social interactions. His broad theory is that the way we think evolved as an aid to human survival, and that many behaviors we think of as "societal" are actually innate functions of the mind
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Oct 16, 2007
John
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Alternate title: "How I can make up a flimsy evolutionary-psychology excuse for everything people do, and look sort of like the lead singer of Foreigner while I'm doing it."
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Aug 31, 2009
Dawn
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Let's be honest. I will probably never pick up this book to finish it. I began reading this because of my book club. But, I didn't think I would finish it to begin with, and due to many circumstances, the book club will not be meeting for this book. So, I have decided to put it down as one of those books I'll never finish.
I didn't like most of what I read, not due to the subject/topic, but due to the way Pinker writes. His droning on on tangents and his shoving his philosophy, which More...
I didn't like most of what I read, not due to the subject/topic, but due to the way Pinker writes. His droning on on tangents and his shoving his philosophy, which More...
Oct 15, 2008
Josh
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Pinker's treatise on the naturalist mind looks like a science textbook, but the combination of computer programming and physiology laid on top of sociological metaphors and applicable understandings makes it a fantastic read. His ability to diffuse archaic arguments about the nature of the mind without appearing argumentative is what defines him as a great academic, and his ability to explain things to individuals with only a high school education (like me) is what defines him as a great writer.
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May 16, 2008
Mommalibrarian
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This is a huge book which cannot be skimmed. The basic idea is computational theory of mind rather than neurons, synapse, and chemical reactions. I found the computational sections interesting but really bogged down in the parts where he illustrates his theories on mind biology in terms of natural selection as reserved in the genes rather than any learned or taught via psychological response. "The mind is a neural computer, fitted by natural selection with combinatorial algorithms for ca
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Dec 04, 2008
This is an interesting read for anyone interested in an approachable book about cognitive psychology.
I have seen Pinker lecture twice, once for The Blank Slate and just recently for The Stuff of Thought. He is amazingly eloquent and I find myself constantly checking to see when he will be coming to Seattle.
Unfortunately my timing has been off on this book (I began reading it a week before beginning graduate school), but hopefully I can finish it during one of by schoo
I have seen Pinker lecture twice, once for The Blank Slate and just recently for The Stuff of Thought. He is amazingly eloquent and I find myself constantly checking to see when he will be coming to Seattle.
Unfortunately my timing has been off on this book (I began reading it a week before beginning graduate school), but hopefully I can finish it during one of by schoo
Feb 15, 2009
Jonathan
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This book is by no means bad. In fact it is very good at what it does, which is reduce life and consciousness to bits of junk (my interpretation). If you want to feel insignificant, read this book ... by the end you will feel as important as a brick.
Please don't think that this makes this book any less impressive ... it is an awesome collection of state of the art research into human consciousness, neural networking, artificial intelligence, and thought. If you are able to learn the More...
Please don't think that this makes this book any less impressive ... it is an awesome collection of state of the art research into human consciousness, neural networking, artificial intelligence, and thought. If you are able to learn the More...
Sep 13, 2011
Ivan
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A more nearly accurate title for the book would have been "What We've Been Able to Figure Out About How The Mind Works." It's an interesting, but heavy read. Pinker, like many others, is a little awed with his own cleverness and that seems to affect his presentation of material and the examples he chooses to include. I enjoyed the book less that what I was expecting to, but still found it a good use of my reading time to get through it.
Apr 27, 2011
Athena
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I liked the book, i think it is an intellectually stimulating piece of work. My main objection is Pinker's notion that behaviour is adapted to a Stone Age way of life and cannot cope wery well with the modernity of Space Age world.
'Our brains', he writes, 'are not wired to cope with anonymous crowds, schooling, written language, governments, police, courts, armies, modern medicine, formal social institutions, high technology, and other newcomers to the human experience.'
I ca More...
'Our brains', he writes, 'are not wired to cope with anonymous crowds, schooling, written language, governments, police, courts, armies, modern medicine, formal social institutions, high technology, and other newcomers to the human experience.'
I ca More...
