MEMO

Issue #282

Jan 16

Attentional bias: the invisible puppeteer behind our decisions

Most people feel that, within the constraints they need to navigate, they are in control of their decisions. But we often automatically follow a train of thought or an external cue without noticing the selective factors in our attention. This phenomenon is called the attentional bias, and it affects many of the decisions we make.

How to be useless

Follow the Daoist way – reclaim your life and happiness by letting go of the need to produce, strive or serve a purpose.

Marc Andreessen: Productivity, Scheduling & Work

Marc Andreessen shares opinions, insights and personal experiences on everything from productivity to reading habits.

The Art of Listening

Many of us probably have a nagging feeling that we don’t listen enough to other people. Here we’re not going to make the guilt worse by telling you that listening is a good thing, worthy but in fact rather dull.

Daniel Dennett’s Most Useful Critical Thinking Tools

Dennett is one of the great thinkers in the world; he’s been at the forefront of cognitive science and evolutionary science for over 50 years, trying to figure out how the mind works and why we believe the things we believe. He’s written a number of amazing books on evolution, religion, consciousness, and free will. (He’s also subject to some extreme criticism due to his atheist bent, as with Dawkins.)