What We Are Reading Today: ‘Experiments of the Mind’ by Emily Martin

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Experiments of the Mind’ by Emily Martin
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Updated 11 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Experiments of the Mind’ by Emily Martin

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Experiments of the Mind’ by Emily Martin

Experimental cognitive psychology research is a hidden force in our online lives. We engage with it, often unknowingly, whenever we download a health app, complete a Facebook quiz, or rate our latest purchase.

How did experimental psychology come to play an outsized role in these developments?

“Experiments of the Mind” considers this question through a look at cognitive psychology laboratories. 


What We Are Reading Today: The World at First Light

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Updated 06 June 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: The World at First Light

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  • In The World at First Light, historian Bernd Roeck explores the cultural and historical preconditions that enabled the European Renaissance

Author: Bernd Roeck

The cultural epoch we know as the Renaissance emerged at a certain time and in a certain place. Why then and not earlier? Why there and not elsewhere? In The World at First Light, historian Bernd Roeck explores the cultural and historical preconditions that enabled the European Renaissance.

Roeck shows that the rediscovery of ancient knowledge, including the science of the medieval Arab world, played a critical role in shaping the beginnings of Western modernity.

 

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’ by David Badre

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’ by David Badre
Updated 05 June 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’ by David Badre

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’ by David Badre

Why is it hard to text and drive at the same time? How do you resist eating that extra piece of cake? Why does staring at a tax form feel mentally exhausting? 

From making a cup of coffee to buying a house to changing the world around them, humans are uniquely able to execute necessary actions.

How do we do it? Or in other words, how do our brains get things done? In “On Task,” cognitive neuroscientist David Badre presents the first authoritative introduction to the neuroscience of cognitive control—the remarkable ways that our brains devise sophisticated actions to achieve our goals.


Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer
Updated 04 June 2025
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Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

“The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer, which was published in 2014, discusses the cultural differences between people and how they influence business interactions.

American author and professor at INSEAD Business School, Meyer talks from personal experience about fundamental points to pay attention to while having interactions with international business owners, peers, or clients.

She uncovers the meaning behind certain behaviors and suggests solutions to overcome the differences between people to accomplish shared goals.

As a cross-cultural management expert, Meyer discusses the elements that contribute to people’s communication and collaboration, including evaluation, persuasion, leadership, decision-making, and trust.

Using practical examples, she explains how misunderstandings sometimes happen when people interpret attitudes using their own lens, which may not be appropriate when relying on personal background and general understanding of the world.

She writes about people appreciating and focusing on what they find meaningful to them. Some cultures value direct feedback, while others tend to lean toward indirect communication when asked to give an opinion.

In addition, the author provides strategies to overcome differences and find common ground, focusing on the importance of learning and understanding cultural norms, and also being adaptable when an individual becomes part of an international team.

She also encourages readers to understand and respect other traditions to build effective relationships with the world around us.

“The Culture Map” is a guide for people who may be working in multicultural environments and want to elevate teamwork while improving intercultural skills.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant
Updated 04 June 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant

We are at a crossroads in history. If we hope to share our planet successfully with one another and the AI systems we are creating, we must reflect on who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading.

“The Importance of Being Educable” puts forward a provocative new exploration of the extraordinary facility of humans to absorb and apply knowledge.

The remarkable “educability” of the human brain can be understood as an information processing ability.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’
Updated 03 June 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’

Authors: Tom S. Clark, Adam N. Glynn, & Michael Leo Owens 

Police shootings in America spark outrage and protest and raise questions about police use of lethal force. Yet despite the attention given to high-profile shootings, it is extremely difficult to draw wider conclusions about the frequency and outcomes of police gunfire because there is no systematic and centralized source of information on these incidents.

This pioneering book draws on original data, compiled by the authors, to examine police shootings, both fatal and non-fatal, in hundreds of American cities.