A Mind Divided
You’ll agree: the process of thinking is complicated. And now you want me to describe it in 400 words or less?
Bare bones,…
Call me a Satisficer – for sure
The term Paradox of Choice, also the title of Barry Schwartz’s book on the pitfalls of decision making, pits freedom to choose, a…
The Psychological Immune System
Simulated happiness - as good as the real thing
Yesterday I described how feeble we are at affective forecasting, the ability to predict how we will be feeling in the future. The…
Me? Irrational?
I really, really like the coastal town of Astoria, Oregon, home to one of the best photographic galleries on the West Coast, http://lightbox-photographic.com,…
Utility? What Utility?
Framing outcomes, questions and evidence
You’d think people would make their decision based on some rational utility model, deciding what’s best and then sticking with it. Well,…
Thinking, Endangered
Obstacles to Rational Thinking
Lately we have seen a number of disturbing decisions both in the national and international arena. So I decided to think through some…
Manifesta 11
What artist do for no money
To close off this week I am wondering if I am doomed to repeat this question forever: when will I understand contemporary art?…
Knit Guerillas
Up the street is a small public park where people walk their dogs and play with their kids in a forest of…
Up with the Birds
I wonder if I had it in me to get up at 3:00 in the morning to be at a concert at…
On Traveling Alone
I wonder where and when I got bitten by the travel bug. It certainly ran in the family. My father wanted to…