Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world it might matter more that we can rethink and unlearn.
In fact, clinging to one’s ideas and opinions is the biggest epidemic in this ever-changing world and sharing with you, atomic ideas from the book ‘Think Again’ by Organizational psychologist, Adam Grant.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people's minds-and our own. As Wharton's top-rated professor and the bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, he tries to argue like he's right but listen like he's wrong.
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Think Again delves into the territory of cognitive errors, biases, prejudices, and mental blind spots. It explores our failure to change our ideas once we have established them.
No matter the knowledge and experience individuals possess, they can’t avoid logical errors in their thinking process.
These include unfounded opinions, external influences, assumptions, and other subjective perceptions. Our natural tendency to rely on these distracting cognitive resources leads to poor decision-making, inflexibility, an inability to hear others and be heard, and closed-minded attitudes as well.
Conventional vs. Alternative View of Intelligence
Author Adam Grant argues that intelligence is not just a skill for thinking but an ability to rethink and forget what you've learned before.
Cognitive flexibility is the art of ignoring our instincts, even though we tend to trust our gut feelings.
Rethinking and questioning ourselves helps us stay relevant in an unstable world.
The Roles We Play
Being a preacher, prosecutor, or politician is like falling into the trap of attacking dissenting views, defending your opinion, or simply winning an argument. Grant insists that having a change of heart isn't a weakness, it validates your intellectual development.
Scientists live to comprehend the limits of their knowledge, and we can learn from them to improve our thinking process.
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