Kluge

The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind

By: Gary Marcus

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Are we "noble in reason"? Perfect, in God's image? Far from it, says New York University psychologist Gary Marcus. In this lucid and revealing book, Marcus argues that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but a "kluge", a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind - think duct tape, not supercomputer - that sheds light on some of the most mysterious aspects of human nature.

Taking us on a tour of the fundamental areas of human experience - memory, belief, decision making, language, and happiness - Marcus reveals the myriad ways our minds fall short. 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 sentence like "people people left left" ties us into knots even though it's only four words long.

He also offers surprisingly effective ways to outwit our inner kluge - for example, always consider alternative explanations, make contingency plans, and beware the vivid, personal anecdote. 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.

©2008 Gary Marcus (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Marcus educates the reader about mental flaws in a succinct, often enjoyable way." ( Publishers Weekly)
"The book is wholly accessible to the nonspecialist but likely to attract those already acquainted with amygdala, gyral cortex, and other landmarks in the cerebral map." ( Kirkus)

definitely worth reading

great book to gain insight about our mind and our flaws. the last chapter provides good pointers how to deal with them.

Enjoyable, informative, though provoking, and very interesting!

I have a layman’s affinity for Evolution Psychology and this didn’t let me down. I enjoyed it.

Mandatory Reading

A great overview to the challenges we face as thinking creatures. A totally delightful listen.

The Wonder mess of our Brain and Thought Process

It is amazing a system like us built through time by chance can do such marvel things as write this beautiful book.

Fascinating Book!

This is a wonderful book by an esteemed NYU psychology professor which discusses how our brains are constructed. His basic premise is that our brains evolved to be "just good enough" to accomplish a particular task. Kluge refers to an inelegant solution to a problem. Because of this we humans make many mistakes, etc. One of the most interesting books I have listened to in many years. I hope the author updates the book periodically as this book was published in 2008 or 11 years ago. Even so, the book's fundamental premise is true.