 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
LINKS: |
Gary Marcus and Susan Blackmore In association with Science City Bristol To book, contact At-Bristol on: 0117 915 5000 or visit in person
New York University psychologist Gary Marcus argues that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but a 'kluge' (an engineering term for a makeshift solution, an inelegant construction that somehow works) - a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind. Arguing against a whole tradition that praises our human minds as the most perfect result of evolution, Marcus shows how imperfect and ill-adapted our brains really are, having had to adapt from the environment of our early hominid origins to a complex world in which our penchant for short-term satisfactions is literally fatal. He examines why people often vote against their own interests, why money can’t buy happiness, why leaders often stick to bad decisions, and why a phrase like "people people left left" ties us into knots even though its only four words long. He also offers surprisingly effective ways to outwit our inner kluge. Throughout, he shows how only evolution - haphazard and undirected - could have produced the minds we humans have, while making a brilliant case for the power and usefulness of imperfection. Marcus is in discussion with Dr Susan Blackmore, author of Consciousness: An Introduction, and A Very Short Introduction to Consciousness. |
JOIN THE DEBATE |
|
 |
|
