Review:I bought this book to gain insight. Instead I found an alchemist trying to discuss chemistry. I should have known from the title. We have/are a brain not a mind. Reading this book is painful. One of his first tasks Pnker undertakes is to criticize behavioral science. He calls it stimulus response. Behavioral science gives six causes for human behavior:
1. Genetic Endowment
2. Pre-natal chemical environment
3. Post-natal chemical environment
4. Classical conditioning(Pavlov)Read more

Review:Very emotional. Held my interest throughout the whole book. Outlined that anyone with a Definite Major Purpose (DMP) added with a Plan of Action (POA) added with Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) added with a Master Mind Alliance (MMA) can equal success. Read more

Review:We have had a number of family and friends passing away lately and I was looking for some philosophical book on the meaning of life and death. We are not religious so didn't want the god line since it doesn't apply. This has too much of god in it and I come away understanding that only when you are terminally ill do you "get" it. So not what I was looking for but lots of interesting anecdotes and if you are a believer might be a good book for you. I did pick up a Buddist book on life and death s... Read more

Review:If you Googled "aphorism" and still did not understand its definition, do not buy this book. Taleb writes for those possessing above average intellect and an open mind. I absolutely love this book for its stark wisdom packed into a collection of concise truisms that I will continue to re-read for many years to come.

Some of his terminology is an extension of his other books (specifically, Black Swan). I read this book before Black Swan and found myself confused more than once. I have ... Read more

Review:I've recommended, lent, and gifted this book to many friends since I first read it. I've even bought a print copy for myself, since my first encounter was through an audiobook. It alternately makes me nod in agreement, hang my head in shame (that I have fallen victim to the same thinking traps being described), laugh at myself (or at others), and smile with the pleasure of learning something new and useful. I find its concepts to be useful in everyday life, sometimes helping me avoid arguments w... Read more

Review:By examining the rise of prison systems in Western culture, Foucault demonstrates the ways modern nation-states exert their power to dominate their citizens. This is a great book for anyone interested in power formations as well as continental theory. Read more

Review:I crack up over pimps and hookers first off because I don't know what their lives are like when they get older, so it was interesting to read this book, to listen to how ignorant this man was, the book was good, don't get me wrong because it was his personal experience that he is telling us I guess, but it was just so ridiculous. Read more

Review:At first, it seemed to be THE book everyone interested in Bhudism and Psychoanalysis couldn't live without reading. It's good and shows the author knows a lot of both, but I found it very superficial when it comes to making connections between the different approchs of treatment in certain of the cases he mentions. I haven't finished it yet but Read more

Review:Great intro into the subject of Stoicism. Would recommend for novices or those who merely want to brush up on the topic with some light reading. Provides a watered down yet encompassing examination of the subject from a modern standpoint. Read more

Review:This book is excellent! Trauma is experienced by everyone in relationships, work, community and family. This book is accessable and relatively easy to read. However, it is not easy to read in the sense that it forces each of us to look within ourselves at our own lives and how we are impacted by the various traumas that we experience. Trauma can be experienced daily, weekly, or once-in-a-lifetime; but it always leaves an impression upon us. This book helps us learn to process these impressi... Read more