Annie Murphy Paul

Based on the "Thinking Outside the Brain" subtitle alone this could've easily been some schlocky corporate fad book. Thankfully, I heard about The Extended Mind via a recommendation so I was prepared for its thesis to be so much more. And it was.

To my delight, I learned that I naturally developed some of these "thinking" habits over the course of my adult life. One of my preferred methods, also outlined here and much to the annoyance of my wife, is that when I disagree with someone I don't try to win the argument but instead try to understand the logic of their argument. I do this by asking question after question after question. If this hypothetical person does not enjoy debate, then my method may not be ideal. But it's a remarkable way to see the argument from a different point of view.

The book also employs a subtle push towards embracing the realities of our interconnected digital world. We no longer live in small communities isolated by distance. Our ability to connect with one another around the world, instantly, has contributed to all manner of good and bad outcomes that wouldn't have been possible in our pre-connected world. Given this reality, and given the rise of smarter machines invading our lives, it's become more imperative than ever to supplement how we think using methods outside of our minds.… (más)

There’s good material here, but I didn’t care for the writing; I found it awkward and even misleading at times. Her point is that the mind relies on the local environment, tools, social connections, etc — things outside of the brain. Fine. But in the first section, where she’s discussing what most people would call gut instinct, she rightly says that it’s wise to pay attention to it - and then writes as if people get “the chills” or whatever purely from their body. But of course, you get bodily reactions because of the brain itself (maybe a part disconnected from your self-awareness, but still…). So really, paying attention to your gut reactions isn’t a matter of a brain “listening” to the body, as the author writes, but is more in truth a part of the brain listening to another part of the brain, via paying attention to bodily reactions. A small thing, but acting as if the body “is aware” of things like a threatening sight is absurd, and she goes upon that track for quite a while. Who knows, maybe there’s an optic nerve that goes straight to sweat glands, but I’m doubting it. Anyway, there is a lot of interesting stuff in the book, but in my opinion the writing is a little more “fast and loose” than I expect from good science writing.… (más)