Beyond Mental Slavery: A Guide to Breaking Free and Thinking Clearly

We all have unconscious reactive programs that determine many of our thoughts and decisions. Quick rationalizations provide obvious but untrue reasons for our beliefs and actions, biases prevent us from examining new ideas, and desires push us to win arguments rather than to search for truth. We are led around by these parts of our minds that we're only vaguely aware of. But just how obedient are we to those hidden masters? Perhaps more than we know. Beyond Mental Slavery examines the many ways in which we become trapped in mental processes that limit the clarity and effectiveness of our thinking and decision-making. Using examples from science, business, the arts, and life in general, the basic problems - and solutions - are spelled out in simple language. Stories and research are used to show how the mind works - or doesn't work. More than just a look at the flaws of our minds, this book is also a how-to guide for clearer, more powerful, and more useful thinking.