Name: Ritik Sahni's review of The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
Item: The Art of Thinking Clearly
Rating: 4
Author: Ritik Sahni

Rolf Dobelli

Have you ever . . . Invested time in something that, in hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Paid too much in an eBay auction? Continued to do something you knew was bad for you? Sold stocks too late, or too early? Taken credit for success, but blamed failure on external circumstances? Backed the wrong horse? These are examples of what the author calls cognitive biases, simple errors all of us make in day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to identify them, we can avoid them and make better choices: whether in dealing with personal problems or business negotiations, trying to save money or earn profits, or merely working out what we really want in life—and strategizing the best way to get it. Already an international bestseller, The Art of Thinking Clearly distills cutting-edge research from behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience into a clever, practical guide for anyone who's ever wanted to be wiser and make better decisions. A novelist, thinker, and entrepreneur, Rolf Dobelli deftly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we don't need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic hyperactivity—all we need is less irrationality. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision making—at work, at home, every day. From why you shouldn't accept a free drink to why you should walk out of a movie you don't like, from why it's so hard to predict the future to why you shouldn't watch the news, The Art of Thinking Clearly helps solve the puzzle of human reasoning.

The Art of Thinking Clearly

An exploration of human reasoning reveals how to recognize and avoid simple errors in our day-to-day thinking in order to transform the decision-making process.

Asmae

I would predict that turning your back on news will beneft you as much as purging any of the other ninety-eight laws we have covered in the pages of this book. Kick the habit completely. Instead, read long background articles and books. Yes, nothing beats books for understanding the world.

 We have problems perceiving nonevents. We are blind to what does not exist. We realize if there is a war, but we do not appreciate the absence of war during peacetime. If we are healthy, we rarely think about being sick. Or, if we get off the plane in Cancún, we do not stop to notice that we did not crash. If we thought more frequently about absence, might well be happier. But it is tough mental work. 

Doctors often fall victim to the availability bias. They have their favorite treatments, which they use for all possible cases More appropriate treatments may exist, but these are in the recesses of the doctors' minds. Consequently, they practice what they know. Consultants are no better. If they come across an entirely new case, they do not throw up their hands and sigh:"I really don't know what to tell you." Instead, they turn to one of their more familiar methods, whether or not it is ideal.

Ritik Sahni

Ein sehr informatives und interessantes Buch über 99 fehlerhafte Arten des Denkens.

Der Autor hat viel Studien und Beispiele zu jeder Art des Denkens mit hinzugefügt.

Fand es nur etwas schwierig zu lesen 😅

Ein sehr informatives und interessantes Buch über 99 fehlerhafte Arten des Denkens.

Der Autor hat viel Studien und Beispiele zu jeder Art des Denkens mit hinzugefügt.

Fand es nur etwas schwierig zu lesen 😅

Yash

Compact, concisely done. Narrative language style, fairly easy to read. It is crucial for us to be self aware on our own inner biases, while at the same time remain open to discussion with an open mind. This is one of the books I will keep returning to once in a while for regular self checks ✔

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THE TIMES BESTSELLER MAIL ON SUNDAY BESTSELLER GUARDIAN BESTSELLER AMAZON TOP TEN BESTSELLER LIVE MAGAZINE BESTSELLER IRISH TIMES NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER THE SECRETS OF PERFECT DECISION-MAKING Have you ever... Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Overpaid in an Ebay auction? Continued doing something you knew was bad for you? Sold stocks too late, or too early? Taken credit for success, but blamed failure on external circumstances? Backed the wrong horse? These are examples of cognitive biases, simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to spot them, we can avoid them and make better choices - whether dealing with a personal problem or a business negotiation; trying to save money or make money; working out what we do or don't want in life, and how best to get it. Already an international bestseller, THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY is essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. It reveals, in 100 short chapters, the most common errors of judgement, and how to avoid them. Simple, clear and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making - at work, at home, every day.

Ayesha ahmed

One of those books that you will have to read over and over. It teaches you how to think rationally, but you could barely apply these lessons throughout your daily life as it needs more than just practicing. What I liked was the findings from social psychology and other thinking. The brief summarized chapters made this book an easy read and the topics were explained very clearly.

Good advice. Not a page turner. BUT respect the brevity.

Jacob Medure

Gavin

Shonky list of cognitive biases / love letter to Taleb. It has occasioned raging critique rather than reciprocation. At first I was very taken by Dobelli’s article ‘Why you shouldn’t read news’, and still think there’s something to it (particularly as goes news' inevitable over-dramatisation of reality via availability bias and our inbuilt credulity), but it’s all Taleb’s work, except unjustified and not actually good. 

(Consider that one is to free-ride and, in the hypothetical aggregate of a trend of people quitting news, suppress journalism’s deterrent effects on governmental and business malfeasance.) 

Anyway his Art is neither well-organised or well-conceptualised – he stretches the perhaps 20 reputable cognitive biases of Kahneman et al into 99 anecdotal smirks. (Redundancies: he splits illusion of control and action bias, the paradox of choice and decision fatigue...) Consider the ‘It’s-gotta-get-worse-before-it-gets-better effect’. 

The big problem for the heuristics and biases program is when you get contradictory pairs of biases – how can people be both ? The actual researchers have done well in synthesising these and providing base-rates for effect sizes (without which, the programme is little more than a new way for intellectuals to insult each other). Dobelli offers no classification, effect sizes, or even citations (they’re hidden online), just clomping informational candy. 

Taleb for dummies. (Where Taleb is already Kahneman for drama queens.)

When picking up this book and reading it’s title, I had expected to read yet another “self-help” book, only to have forgotten everything in it after a few weeks. 

But this book surprised me with how often I think of what I’ve read. 

Above all the way it was constructed like some sort of manual to thinking clearly rather than an account of individual experience that could  be interpreted just so that all those reading can find some sort of wisdom in it. No, there was nothing ambiguous about this and I loved it. 

Among the first paragraphs the author makes it clear that this is no such “self-help” book and shows throughout the following statements just how true that statement is. 

To stay in tune with the manual all aloft, this book is to be read as an instruction on what to look out for in live. It points out where caution is needed, where omitting easily missed details can have tremendous effects and where the opposite may be true. 

What I found especially astonishing, was that most of the chapters and the “thinking errors” described within them, weren’t revelations. I had fallen and encountered them countless times in my life or at the very least could think of someone in my life who had made the same mistake. 

I struggled to understand how the title tied in with this very rational, objective  work. Now I’ve come up with this:

Art isn’t something perfect or clear at all. It is ambiguous and subjective, just like thoughts are. The goal isn’t to be rational all the time, to not make mistakes, to not misjudge, but to put the ego aside, to observe, to second guess, to critique, no matter how familiar we may be with a concept.

When picking up this book and reading it’s title, I had expected to read yet another “self-help” book, only to have forgotten everything in it after a few weeks. 

But this book surprised me with how often I think of what I’ve read. 

Above all the way it was constructed like some sort of manual to thinking clearly rather than an account of individual experience that could  be interpreted just so that all those reading can find some sort of wisdom in it. No, there was nothing ambiguous about this and I loved it. 

Among the first paragraphs the author makes it clear that this is no such “self-help” book and shows throughout the following statements just how true that statement is. 

To stay in tune with the manual all aloft, this book is to be read as an instruction on what to look out for in live. It points out where caution is needed, where omitting easily missed details can have tremendous effects and where the opposite may be true. 

What I found especially astonishing, was that most of the chapters and the “thinking errors” described within them, weren’t revelations. I had fallen and encountered them countless times in my life or at the very least could think of someone in my life who had made the same mistake. 

I struggled to understand how the title tied in with this very rational, objective  work. Now I’ve come up with this:

Art isn’t something perfect or clear at all. It is ambiguous and subjective, just like thoughts are. The goal isn’t to be rational all the time, to not make mistakes, to not misjudge, but to put the ego aside, to observe, to second guess, to critique, no matter how familiar we may be with a concept.



Mohamed Elaraby 

دردشة مع شخص (غير مختص) عن المغالطات المنطقية.. بعض الفصول كانت مفيدة والباقي حشو

Freeda Lobo

Clear and precise. No nonsense self-help.

The Art of Thinking Clearly by world-class thinker and entrepreneur Rolf Dobelli is an eye-opening look at human psychology and reasoning - essential reading for anyone who wants to avoid "cognitive errors" and make better choices in all aspects of their lives. Have you ever: Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn't worth it? Or continued doing something you knew was bad for you? These are examples of cognitive biases, simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to spot them, we can avoid them and make better decisions. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making-work, at home, every day. It reveals, in 99 short chapters, the most common errors of judgment, and how to avoid them.

sera

This book makes me struggle to think as it explains how thinking works😂. Each chapter is short, good for short attention span people like me. But also means that i could easily forget what i read in previous chapter as i flips through the pages. The book listed thinking errors we all did by default. I bet if he reads this he would have a full 3 page analysis of how i think. 

One of my fav to quote is "... we often decide intuitively and justify our choices later", "we do not behave like scientists, who are purely interested in objective facts. Instead, we think like lawyers, crafting the best possible justification for a predetermined conclusion" pg309

But the above quotes can't beat the ultimate line in the page 310, "Thinking is tiring". It is indeed.

Ivaylo Durmonski

Not a how-to book to an error-free life but still a very good classification of behavioral and cognitive errors.

By listing all the thinking errors under the sun the author wants to prepare us for unfortunate situations. To showcase what we can possibly do wrong and give us a different way to approach situations.

There are 99 mental models listed in this book. Each one of them covered in two or three pages tops which makes the book an easy read.

Still, if you’re a fan of behavior patterns you’ll most probably find this book kind of boring. The author is simply listing the most common thinking concepts and reinforcing his points with already known (at least to people who are familiar with the ideas) examples.

If you’re new to this type of knowledge, though, you’ll most probably love it. The short chapters help you quickly advance and give you a sense of joy.

One more thing if you decide to get the book: You don’t have to read the book from start to finish. Jump around. Read the thinking concepts you find most intriguing. The sections of the book aren’t connected to each other.

Key takeaway:

If you want to make improvements in your life, focusing on what not to do should be your go-to tactic. Want to have more money? Start spending less. You don’t necessarily have to start businesses or learn complicated investing strategies. Do, or should I say stop doing part of the things you’re doing now. This is the easiest way to rid yourself of undesired negative behaviors.

Read the full summary:
https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/...

Oooh

Sam Chittolina

James Thorburn

Vlad Kyshkan

Olatunde Ologundudu 

Erik Schön

Thiago Valentim

We are all guilty of cognitive biases, simple errors we make in day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to identify them, we can avoid them and make better choices. The Art of Thinking Clearly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we don't need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic activity—all we need is less irrationality. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this book will change the way you think and transform your decision making. From why you should not accept a free drink to why you should walk out of a movie you don't like, from why it's so hard to predict the future to why you shouldn't watch the news, The Art of Thinking Clearly helps solve the puzzle of human reasoning.

Ritik Sahni &
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Ritik Sahni &The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Ritik Sahni &
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli