I had a plan of having one video per chapter — and I still have this plan. So far we are at chapter 9
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A marvelous book that is both thought provoking and highly entertaining, ranging from the power of placebos to the pleasures of Pepsi.
- Jerome Groopman
3 Comments
William
The title of the above chapter seeemed to make this an appropriate area in which to post my comment.
I am an old “fart,” having retired from a business career as CFO in Fortune 500 and Forbes 400 environments, and have returned to my first love: teaching (Philosophy, Finance, Management, at the undergraduate level). I have an MBA from a top-10 B school, as well as two Philosophy degrees.
While there have been many great minds who have influenced my thinking (Plato, Aristotle, Whitehead, etc.), there has been only one book that has influenced/changed my life: “Irrational Man,” by William Barrett. At age 26, I read that book, and within 90 days I was married to someone I had never known previously. (We knew each other only 31 days before we got married. We are working on our 39th year married. She attended Harvard B School.)
BUT: if I were young enough to have my life changed, there is a now a second book that would (have) change(d) my life: “Predictably Irrational.” Having completed only two chapters in the book, I decided I “had” to give a copy each to my children (those copies are in their way), and told my Critical Thinking students about the book.
Wonderful insights, pleasant self-deprecating writing style.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
6 March 2009, 11:49 am
Jonpaul
I wonder if the placebo affect is really irrational. Not that it is rational, I just do not think it is fair to apply rationality to it. It is the power of suggestion. Is it irrational that if something touches my arm that I feel it or that a person who is paralyzed does not feel it?
This question came to me when I was talking to a Psychology student at dinner. I was talking about your book and Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink. The placebo affect seems to be unexpected but it does not seem to be irrational.
I am curious what other people think of this idea.
9 March 2009, 9:00 pm
Chris
Precisely the reason why I think the media has become such a negative influence on the economy. The only thing everyone keeps hearing from the media is how bad everything is and as a result that is what everyone has come to expect.
10 March 2009, 2:08 pm
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