Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell interestingly enough is a book that will make you think about thinking. The idea that most of our decisions are made in the blink of an eye and that we can't even explain the reasoning behind them is intriguing and sometimes a little scary. Readers may find themselves pausing while going about their everyday activities to question a decision they made without realizing they made it. Gladwell describes the concept in a way that leaves the reader wondering why they never thought of the points he makes. His examples give a deeper understanding of the idea of making a decision without knowing why even if the examples are sometimes experiments that make the reader squirm a little as they read. The section where Gladwell discusses a military exercise gives a moment's pause about the inflexibility of military thinking but could also be applied to any situation that pits two groups against one another. Gladwell also spends quite a bit of time talking about the results of testing that examine our preconceived and possibly subconscious thoughts about others. He explains the benefits and the pitfalls of thinking without thinking. Blink is a simple but powerful and fascinating look into the way our brain works often without our knowledge to make split-second decisions.… (more)