Daniel Kahneman – Thinking, fast and slow

In a nutshell (499 pages), this is the now very famous seminal work by Daniel Kahneman. This book lays out how people use two different thinking systems. A fast one meant for quick survival, and the slow one used for long term optimization. It also lays out the problems with each, and offers solutions to use them better.

What I got out of it

The book is brilliant and deserves the accolades. Most people will at least pretend to know the differences between thinking fast and slow, but this book really separates the two and shows how to use the two systems better.

What was difficult

Many people may come to the book thinking it will be an easy read. While it is very well written, it is very complete, and very long. It is not the sort of book where someone could have written 20-30 pages but clearly the publisher wanted to make money and so turned it into a 220-page book.

Recommendation

Everyone who wants to improve their thinking should read this book in its entirety. A summary just won’t do, and if its all your willing to read your really going to miss the essence of the book and what it has to offer. It’s a big book for a reason, and the reason is good.