I found The Art of Thinking Clearly to be an intriguing take on the cognitive biases that afflict us all as human beings. The book is composed of short, pithy chapters which are each dedicated to at least one of the almost 200 cognitive biases that have been identified by psychologists to date. In every chapter Dobelli relates various anecdotal stories, occasionally punctuated with brainteasers, exemplifying how each cognitive bias manifests. What I enjoyed the most about The Art of Thinking Clearly was that is easy-to-read and accessible to the average Joe on the street. I must confess I was drawn to read this book by the captivating title, and after reading it I am not sure that I have learned about how to think more clearly. Being aware of cognitive biases is not sufficient to make one’s thinking clearer. My expectation before reading this book, based on the title, was that it would provide deeper insight and guidance on how to think in a clearer manner. For this reason I am not able to give more than a 3-star rating, despite the fact that the book reads well. Another factor contributing to my assessment is that I have read extensively in the area of evolutionary psychology over the past few years, from Daniel Kahneman to Dan Ariely. So much of what Dobelli shares in The Art of Thinking Clearly, seems to me not to be new or original thought. Nevertheless, I feel The Art of Thinking Clearly is a great book for a lay introduction to evolutionary psychology which could spark your interest in reading more deeply on the topic.
Have you read any the Art of Thinking Clearly or another interesting evolutionary psychology book? What did you gain from reading it? Please feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below.