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Wired for Survival: The Rational (and Irrational) Choices We Make, from the Gas Pump to Terrorism
- By Margaret M. Polski
- Published Sep 9, 2008 by FT Press.
Book
- Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
About
Features
The must-read book for this election year: the new brain science of change and economic prosperity!
Description
- Copyright 2009
- Dimensions: 6" x 9"
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-13-242028-7
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-242028-0
Lessons from the Cutting-Edge of Neuroscience: “Remapping” to Thrive in the New Global Economy!
“Do you ever wonder how you think? If you do, this book will fascinate and inform you. If you don’t, you will after reading this book. Either way, you’ll enjoy learning how we don’t usually do it as we think we do, how we may do it better for that very reason, and how we may do it still better once we understand.”
—Thomas C. Schelling, 2005 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, Distinguished University Professor, Emeritus, University of Maryland
Drawing on cutting-edge research in the neurosciences, Wired for Survival illuminates the surprising security implications of rapid change in the emerging economies and develops practical, technically sound ways to face the challenges of global change.
Researcher and consultant Margaret M. Polski begins by uncovering the remarkable neurobiological underpinnings of policy. Polski reveals why the most effective political and economic policies are codified not in law, treaty, or culture, but in the networks embedded in our bodies and brains...and how protecting our prosperity requires us to adapt those networks to radically new realities.
Next, Polski applies these fresh insights to three critical security issues: how best to defend our national interests; to take offensive action to protect our interests; and to strengthen our financial system. Finally, she provides “rules for the road” that can be applied to a world of problems: how best to compete in global markets; to build stronger, more secure communities; to manage energy and other key resources; to invest in and secure critical infrastructure; to address the structural impacts of trade; and to manage tomorrow’s catastrophes, both natural and man-made.
As a political economist, executive, government advisor, and consultant, Polski has spent more than two decades devising strategies for surviving change in the global political economy. Now, drawing on the breakthrough research in social neuroscience, she offers insights that will help you thrive, not just survive!
“First, kill all the pundits and policy wonks...”
Why you’ll make better decisions by thinking for yourself–and how to do it
Thinking in the wild
Uncovering the intuitive interactions between our minds, bodies, and 21st century environment
Overcoming our biases, our histories, and our vulnerability to groupthink
Mastering the deep motivations that traditional economics doesn’t understand
Sample Content
Online Sample Chapter
Wired for Survival: The Rational (and Irrational) Choices We Make, from the Gas Pump to Terrorism
Sample Pages
Table of Contents
Foreword xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Under the Twinkle of a Fading Star 7
Life Is Very Long 17
We Grope Together 20
Headpieces Filled with Straw 24
Here We Go Round the Prickly Pear 27
Chapter 2: Bits and Pieces 31
Brains and Russian Dolls 32
Mission Control 37
The Brain and Survival 42
Beyond Bits and Pieces 47
Chapter 3: Mind Matter 49
Thinking About Thinking and Choosing 51
The Mind-Body Problem Redux 58
Chapter 4: Thinking in the Wild 63
An Alternative Framework: Intuitive Choice 65
Moving On 76
Chapter 5: Feeling Our Way 79
Learning Machines 82
Knowledge Production 85
Reasoning 87
Flying Circus on Steroids 91
Chapter 6: Mind to Mind 95
Motivating 99
Mind Reading 100
Changing Minds 107
Chapter 7: Brightening the Twinkle of Our Fading Star 111
Rethinking Difficult Questions 114
How Shall We Govern Ourselves in the Years Ahead? 126
References 131
Endnotes 143
Index 149