Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

What it is about

Dr. Kahneman recently passed away. He left us with an enormous contribution to understanding ourselves that I can only compare to how Einstein gave us a better understanding of the world around us. This book does not need any introduction. It is a New York Times best seller that does not compromise on the rigor of the ideas and insights it presents (it has over 400 footnotes), while making them accessible to all of us. He shows us how how we are not the Rational, Selfish, Unchanging homo-economicus that traditional economic theory assumed and how this is actually a good thing that makes us human. His personification of the number one and number two systems in our minds and how they together makes us who we are is brilliant, all the while backing those insights with hard science, data and irrefutable logic. This book summarizes decades of his work and shows us a solid path to understanding ourselves and our peers better and more fully as humans.

Why it changed my thinking

I think everybody at some point in time catches themselves doing things they don't quite understand, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. In many of these cases, we think of them as "this was not me" or "wow, I got lucky with that guess". This book opened my eyes to how those decisions and actions were also myself, once that floodgate was open, I learned to see others through that lens, understand them better and relate to them in a much more empathetic and closer way. Read this book for its science, for its great writing or for getting insights into yourself. For whatever reason you have, it will change how you look at yourself, the world and others.

Where to get it

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