On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not |  | Author: Robert Burton
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.72
as of 11/21/2009 17:24 CST details
You Save: $6.23 (42%)
New (21) Used (10) from $8.72
Seller: thermite-media
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 4170
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 031254152X
Dewey Decimal Number: 612
EAN: 9780312541521
ASIN: 031254152X
Publication Date: March 17, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do. In On Being Certain, neurologist Robert Burton shows that feeling certain—feeling that we know something--- is a mental sensation, rather than evidence of fact. An increasing body of evidence suggests that feelings such as certainty stem from primitive areas of the brain and are independent of active, conscious reflection and reasoning. In other words, the feeling of knowing happens to us; we cannot make it happen. Bringing together cutting-edge neuroscience, experimental data, and fascinating anecdotes, Robert Burton explores the inconsistent and sometimes paradoxical relationship between our thoughts and what we actually know. Provocative and groundbreaking, On Being Certain challenges what we know (or think we know) about the mind, knowledge, and reason.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
 On Being Certain. . . October 27, 2009
C. Snow (Ellsworth, ME USA)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Don't really know if this book is helpful or not. Too wordy. Couldn't get into it.
 Fascinating insights October 6, 2009
S. L Ceravolo (Seattle, WA United States)
I bought this book because the premise sounded interesting, and because I love scientific explanations for thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs. It did not disappoint. I liked how the author did not oversimplify or condescend to the non-technical reader (he is a neurosurgeon). The examples he used to illustrate concepts were well-chosen and memorable. Those who enjoy the writings of Malcolm Gladwell, but prefer a more technical and in-depth discussion, should read this book!
Believing You Are Wrong Even When You're Not August 25, 2009
Larry Underwood (Scottsdale, AZ)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Robert Burton's study into the fascinating & perplexing nature of the brain gives empirical evidence that what we believe isn't really based on logic; it's based on chemical reactions in the brain which are really quite unreliable, as far as accuracy goes. Does that make sense?
Of course not. In fact, if you read this book very carefully, you'll realize that even when you're right, you might not believe it. But that's a safer way to go; getting fooled into thinking you're right when you're dead wrong, could prove fatal, from a career standpoint; especially when the boss decides the matter of right or wrong; right or wrong.
You may not believe me, but try to understand that I'm usually right; I think.
On Being Certain August 22, 2009
Robert L. Schmitz (Oakdale, MN USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Excellent. Confirms what we know. Religions exist in our mind and not in reality. Beware of what you think you know.
You can't agree with my review unless you already agree with my review July 24, 2009
Don McGowan
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
There are many books on topics that seem similar to this one - Blink being the best-known. The difference with Burton is that he's a medical doctor and he approaches things like a medical doctor would. He provides clinical reviews and not just anecdotes. The bigger point he's making, that there is probably a biological underpinning to the feeling that you know something to be true that runs parallel to the part of the brain that underlies the actual knowledge of the fact, would explain a lot of the behavior patterns we see in people. To Burton you can try to convince people they are wrong but that doesn't make them change their minds because you haven't caused them to change the part of the brain that's wired to think the other beliefs are true, and that part of the brain is difficult to change.
Burton doesn't use this example but I will: think of Saul on the road to Damascus. Why did he change his position as to the truth of the gospels? Not because he learned new facts, but because he found he no longer believed the old conclusions from the old facts to be true, and he drew new conclusions from the old facts. Most people don't change their minds just by learning new facts, they change their minds by realizing that the facts they know (whether combined with new ones or not) no longer feel true. Burton provides a compelling explanation for this phenomenon
So I guess what I'm saying is "I like this book because what it says feels like it's true." But saying that demonstrates the whole point of the book...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
|
|
|
|
