Book Summaries
Chapter 3: The Lazy Controller
P.40 – to maintain a coherent train of thought and engage in effortful thinking requires self control. the frequent switching of tasks and speeded up mental work are probably not intrinsically pleasurable -we will avoid them when possible. That is how the law of least effort came to be a law.
P.40 – to maintain a coherent train of thought and engage in effortful thinking requires self control. the frequent switching of tasks and speeded up mental work are probably not intrinsically pleasurable -we will avoid them when possible. That is how the law of least effort came to be a law. Even without time pressure, the systematic avoidance of sustained effort, by repeatedly checking email or the contents of the fridge, suggests that the mind has an urge to escape the activity.
But thankfully, some types of cognitive work are not so aversive. And people sometimes expend considerable effort for a long time without having to exert willpower – that is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called Flow.
Note: when I write on Hans, I experience this especially.
P.41 – There are 2 forms of effort: concentration on the task and deliberate control of attention. Flow neatly separates the two. playing chess, riding. Motorcycle at 150 miles an hour are effortful but require no exertion of self control when in flow.
P.48 – what makes some people more susceptible to biases of judgement? See book Rationality and the Reflective Mind
YARPP List
Related posts:
- Antifragile Summary (9/10)
- The Prince Summary (7/10)
- The Art of Learning Summary (6/10)
- The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty Summary (6.5/10)
Keep Reading
Related Articles
Book Summaries
What is Survivorship Bias?
Think of how many people, while growing up, who thought they’re good enough to become a professional NBA or NFL player, how many thought they could become a professional poker player or investor, how many thought they could become an award-winning actor, writer, scientist, director, or musician.
Book Summaries
The Blind Ones and the Matter of the Elephant (Tales of the Dervishes)
Beyond Ghor there was a city. All its inhabitants were blind. A king with his entourage arrived near by; he brought his army and camped in the desert. He had a mighty elephant, which he used in attack and to increase the people’s awe.
Book Summaries
Dominion Summary (9/10)
[Dominion](https://amzn.to/3o7GJOv) by Tom Holland is the story of Christianity’s influence on the world. The Romans thought that being crucified was the worst possible fate and that it should only be dished out to slaves.
Book Summaries
Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain Summary (8/10)
*Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain* by Kosslyn and Smith is a textbook used in cognitive psychology. It covers the topics of perception, attention, language, memory and thinking. The book does a good job of covering the basics of each topic, but does not go into much depth.