Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things

by Madeleine L. Van Hecke

Book Overview

A woman planning a dinner party calls a gourmet caterer and learns that "Chateaubriand" can be ordered. To which she responds, "No, thanks. We're going to take care of the wine ourselves." The dead silence at the end of the phone is her first clue that something is amiss. A CEO attempts to put an end to complaints from employees about the demeaning behavior of certain managers by berating the managers before the staff - thus reinforcing the very behavior...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591025095
• ISBN13: 9781591025092
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

To err is human...to understand human error is nearly impossible

This is one of a recent spurt of pop neuropsychology books that very user friendly. In this short, accessible volume, one learns the many ways in which human prejudice and lack of foresight can cause even the most experience of us to misstep. In terms of using real life examples, this book excells. In terms of covering of the overarching clinical data, this book is not as helpful. For those who find their interest in neuropsychology piqued by this book I would suggest: How the Mind Works by Harvard's Steven Pinker Why We Love by Dr. Helen Fisher Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer And pretty much anything by V. Ramashandran or Matt Ridley. Neuropsychology...the idea that human behavior is just as molded by evolution as human morphology...is an inherently and unendling fascinating field. To those for whom this is the first step in the pond, I encourage you to follow this up with a long educational swim.

Get ...and stay...Smart!

If every person in a position of responsibility read this book, perhaps there would be fewer catastrophes! Granted, there are so many things at play in complex situations, a mere human may not be able to change entire outcomes. However, there are so many stupid decisions that contribute to ruin ... and that can be changed. That's why this book is so important. Van Hecke presents 10 Blind Spots: 1. Not Stopping to Think 2. What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 3. Not Noticing 4. Not Seeing Yourself 5. My-side Bias 6. Trapped by Categories 7. Jumping to Conclusions 8. Fuzzy Evidence 9. Missing Hidden Causes 10. Missing the Big Picture While listing the chapters may seem like the Cliff Notes, it would be a mistake to conclude that the list is the whole story. The author does a complete, substantiated and entertaing job of describing each blind spot and shows how prevalent (sadly) they are. This book is a great way to keep you grounded when the smart people around you are doing dumb things, and, of course, to prevent you from making the same mistakes.

Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things

To say I recognized myself and so many others I know in this book would be an understatement! It has changed the way I think about many things, especially when driving. I'm prone to road rage, and after reading this, it put a different spin on the guy in the other car; it has saved many people already. Every chapter was a revelation, and I really enjoyed the example stories. They made it easy to see the ways in which we bypass our own intelligence. A good book for business groups, or anyone wishing they didn't stumble over their own "forehead smacking" blunders. This could be a good gift for colleagues who think they know it all, or those who don't and need help.

Great read. Definite buy.

I don't read self-help books as a rule but this one (a gift) kept me hooked. All the blind spots were real to me and pertained in one way or another to me and/or someone I know. I am going to give this book to everyone I know and do business with. It will go a long way towards making my life easier!

a great gift for someone recovering from a misstep

This book is engaging, smart, and playful, even though it deals with stuff we really ought to know. Van Hecke points out some mysteries we haven't noticed, and makes the mysterious feel manageable. She starts with the conviction that the more we understand about our thinking, the more likely we are to produce results that satisfy us in the long term. Van Hecke's witty and insightful daytrip through some of the knobbier kinds of thinking is lots of fun. I discovered plenty of surprises and quite a few points that proved things I had almost thought of myself. Blind Spots includes just enough unforgettable examples. They keep coming to mind as I catch myself doing some of my own favorite dumb things. Highly recommended to anyone wanting to think about thinking--students, teachers, armchair philosophers, and all the rest of us who wonder how things happen. Nice gift for someone recovering from doing a dumb thing. That's probably anyone: as Ven Hecke points out, it comes with having a brain built like ours.