The elephant in the brain
To give a short summary: the elephant in the brain explores the often unique aspects in human behavior and the underlying motives that drive us. The less we know about our own “ugly” motives, the better. This is “the elephant in the brain”.
Such introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our own nature. The aim of this book is to confront these hidden motives - and track them down… these dark and unexplored paths most do not dare to look.
Why do we laugh? why do we cry? Why do i find that person atractive. - We unconsciously make decisions within a split second, why?
You won’t see yourself -or the world the same after confronting the elephant in the brain.
Deep introspection solves it all.
As always I’ll share some memorable sentences or quotes that stood out to me:
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” - Mark Twain
We often care more about how we’re perceived than about our actual impact on the world.
When we search for the motives behind our actions, we often find a more self-interested story than we expected.
We not only fool others but we fool ourselves.
Wear a mask long enough and it becomes your face, play a role long enough and it becomes who you are, spend enough time pretending something is true and you might as well believe it.
Self deception is often the most robust way to mislead others.
The man who reads nothing at all is more educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.
To summarize: Great book would recommend it.
SCORE: 7/10