Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Constantly Changing World - Hardcover

Leonard Mlodinow

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0241334403 ISBN 13: 9780241334409

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2018

Synopsis

'Timely and engrossing. . . a fascinating exploration of one of the most important topics: how the human mind deals with change' - Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

'A book of sparkling intelligence, written with humour and grace. If you read only one book of accessible science this year, let this be the one' - Mark Williams, author of Mindfulness

The bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk and Subliminal unlocks the secrets of flexible thinking.

What do Pokémon Go and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein have in common?
Why do some businesses survive, and others fail at the first sign of change?
What gives the human brain the edge over computers?

The answer: Elastic Thinking. It's an ability we all possess, and one that we can all learn to hone in order to succeed, at work and in our everyday lives.

Here Leonard Mlodinow, whose own flexible thinking has taken him from physics professor to TV scriptwriter and bestselling author, takes us on a revelatory exploration of how elasticity works. He draws on cutting-edge neuroscience to show how, millennia ago, our brains developed an affinity for novelty, idea generation and exploration. He discovers how flexible thinking enabled some of the greatest artists, writers, musicians and innovators to create paradigm shifts. He investigates the organisations that have demonstrated an elastic ability to adapt to new technologies. And he reveals how you can test your own brain power and increase your capacity for elastic thinking.

By uncovering the secrets of our flexible minds, Elastic explains how to thrive in an endlessly dynamic world, at a time when an ability to adapt is more important than ever before.

About this title

About the Author

Leonard Mlodinow is the bestselling author of The Drunkard's Walk (New York Times Notable Book), Subliminal (winner of the PEN / E. O. Wilson Award), The Upright Thinkers and, with Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design. Trained as a physicist, he has had a very elastic career, writing for television series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and working in the gaming industry before becoming a full time writer while continuing to publish physics papers as a hobby.

Review

Elegant and interesting. . . packed with insights, puzzles and philosophical interludes. . . While nodding to the business market, Elastic is refreshingly free of the curious moralising that often accompanies such how-to guides -- Steven Poole * Guardian * A manifesto for intellectual flexibility. . . If we are to thrive in this new world, argues bestselling science writer Leonard Mlodinow, we're going to need less linear, logical, analytic reasoning and more creative "elastic thinking" -- Julian Baggini * Financial Times * 'Stretchy' brains are best. . . Mlodinow's core message is well worth hearing -- Hugo Rifkind * The Times * Timely and engrossing, Leonard Mlodinow's Elastic is a fascinating exploration of one of the most important topics: how the human mind deals with change -- Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better A book of sparkling intelligence, written with humour and grace. If you read only one book of accessible science this year, let this be the one -- Mark Williams, author of Mindfulness, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford A fascinating, useful look into how the brain works. Perfect for neophiliacs and everyone else who's dealing with a changing world -- Seth Godin, author of Tribes Leonard Mlodinow never fails to make science both accessible and entertaining -- Stephen Hawking Leonard Mlodinow will make you smarter -- Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy In this wise and persuasive book, Leonard Mlodinow calls for a change in the very way we think. Using a deft mix of science and storytelling, he shows the limits of linear thinking and the promise of 'bottom up' thinking that embraces ambiguity, asks the shrewd questions, and pursues novel answers to complex problems. Elastic is a book that will help you survive the whirlwind -- Daniel H. Pink, author of When In a world in which advancing technologies, omnipresent social media, and fiery political landscapes can make us feel helpless and paralyzed, Leonard Mlodinow shows us how our most humanly traits such as novelty seeking, need for routine, and free range imagination have uniquely prepared us to thrive in an increasingly complex and ever changing world. Most importantly, in this groundbreaking book, Mlodinow shows us how to make the best use of our most basic human tendencies to find true happiness and success -- Rudy Tanzi, author of Super Brain

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241334403
• ISBN 13: 9780241334409
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272