If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered why your brain makes most of your life's decisions before you’re even consciously aware of them?
- If our brains are physically wired in specific ways, do we actually have free will—and how should that change the way we treat criminals?
- Did you know that what you perceive as reality is actually a carefully constructed illusion created by parts of your brain you can’t even access?
Listen to Incognito — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from Incognito
- Understand why you are not truly in control of your thoughts and actions, and how relying on your brain's autopilot is actually essential for executing fast, complex tasks.
- Discover how your perception of reality is not a factual recording, but rather a subconscious hallucination constructed from electro-chemical signals.
- Learn how your brain is divided into competing subsystems, such as logic and emotion, that constantly battle for control over your daily behavior.
- Explore how human cognitive limits, personal tastes, and social behaviors are deeply hardwired by our evolutionary ancestors' survival needs.
- Find out why the traditional concept of free will is scientifically flawed, and why the legal system should focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Incognito
Mind Map
Incognito
The Illusion of Conscious Control
The Subconscious Iceberg
The Power of Autopilot
Biological Vulnerability
Reality as a Constructed Hallucination
Perception vs. Reality
Fabricated Experiences
The Brain's Competing Subsystems
Divided Mind
Rational vs. Emotional
Internal Conflict
Evolutionary Roots of Cognition
Cognitive Limits
Programmed Preferences
Rethinking the Legal System
The Myth of Free Will
Biological Compulsion
Systemic Reform
The Limits of Neuroscience
Societal Applications
Unpredictability
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 7
Why are professional baseball batters able to successfully hit fastballs despite having less time to react than it takes to form a conscious awareness of the ball?
Incognito — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: We’re far less in control of our thoughts, feelings and behavior than we imagine.
Chapter 3: What we call reality is actually a hallucination constructed below our awareness.
Chapter 4: Separate brain systems constantly compete to direct what we do.
Chapter 5: Evolution largely shapes how we think and what we like.
Chapter 6: Our justice system should prioritize rehabilitation instead of retribution.
Chapter 7: Neuroscience has greatly clarified the mind, yet it can’t answer every question.
Incognito Summary & Overview
Unbeknownst to you, a subconscious part of your brain is constantly whirring away and wielding a tremendous influence on your thoughts, feelings and behavior. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2011) is your guide to the other side of your brain, and how it shapes your life.
Who Should Listen to Incognito?
- Anyone interested in psychology, psychiatry or neuroscience
- Anyone interested in what makes us see the world the way we see it, and the inner workings of our minds
- Anyone who wonders whether there is such a thing as free will, and if criminals truly choose to commit their crimes
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