ShelfariI recently read the book ‘Blink – The Power of Thinking without Thinking’ by Malcolm Gladwell. The book postulates the theory that people can make better decisions with only the small amount of information that can be obtained when first presented with the question or problem. The author presents many case studies, from The 2002 Millenium Challenge held by the US Armed Forces to a study on married couples and how they behave when they think they are alone. Some of the studies were very meticulous and scientific, where others were mostly anecdotal in terms of evidence. One way or another, Mr. Gladwell managed to explain how people can think without thinking, how they can create an environment that fosters that ability and how environment and other factors could cause that ability to go awry. According to Mr. Gladwell everyone has the potential to think without thinking, but experts in the field in question not only ‘thought’ faster and with better results but they also had a better shot of explaining why they decided on the course of action they took.
I thought the book was a fascinating read. I was particularly interested in the parts where Mr. Gladwell detailed how the ability to think without thinking could be short circuited and how it could be supported by environmental factors. I basically saw the whole book as an extensive scientific exercise on the Oriental concept of Zen, with a dash of Feng Shui thrown in. Obvious ironies aside, it is a very compelling book. The whole idea is so intriguing because I would love to learn how to ‘think without thinking’ effectively. It certainly would be a much more efficient use of time and resources! I also wonder if Mr. Gladwell read any books on the philosophy of Zen, or if he did in the future would he incorporate any of those writings into another printing of his book?
The bottom line? I give this book an excellent rating and would recommend this book to anyone.
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