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Kluge: The Haphazard Evolution of the Human Mind Paperback – April 7, 2009

by Gary Marcus (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 12 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (April 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 054723824X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547238241
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsAlmost 5 stars...
By Harvey Reed on October 5, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Good job in portraying how we (might have) evolved to be the interesting and confusing human beings we are today. I say might have, because really, who knows how we got here? It is just short of 5 stars because he spends a bit much on how we are not computers, holding them up as examples of "perfect memory". But if they are, then why is "big data" all the rage, and we are still trying to figure out how to make sense of it? In other words, computers don't have a perfect way to do anything yet either. And BTW we, humans, invented computers, so maybe this is part of our evolution, adding another layer on top of our "carbon-based emotional bag-of-water" foundation?

I highly recommend the book.
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4.0 out of 5 starsRedesigning the human mind
By Simon Laub on August 30, 2009
Format: Paperback
The human mind is capable of the most astonishing
feats. But our cognitive makeup is also filled with what Gary Marcus
calls bugs.
Inadequate self control, false memories, absentmindedness,
vulnerability to mental disorders, mental contamination and much more.
Why? Because that was as good as nature (evolution) could make the brain.

Evolution, Natural selection is only as good as the random mutation
that may arise. If a given mutation is beneficial it may propagate,
but the most beneficial mutation might never appear.
Sure, there are all sort of examples of how nature eventually
achieved perfection. But sometimes nature settles with imperfection.
Stuck in a 'local maximum" where there might be better
solutions around. But nature just don't know how to get there
without destroying the organism.

We have two ways of thinking - a fast, automatic and unconscious way,
and then a slow, deliberate and judicious.
Where deliberate prefrontal thought is piled on top of fast, automatic
emotional feelings in the brain.
And thats were all the trouble starts.

Now, the reader really would need some brain anatomy drawings.
Where do we have the fast stuff (Limbic system), where is
the rational stuff (frontal cortex), and why does the
limbic system override the cortex (wired that way).
But the book is very vague here - and assumes
that we are only interested in this from a
overview psychological point of view - not the nitty gritty
of what is actual going on in the brain?
I was pretty disappointed here, because I thought I was
going to be told more on how the actual wiring is,
and how it could be changed!Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsVery informative and enlightening book by Gary Marcus
By Hassan Shallal on May 28, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Kluge is a very well-written and easy-to-read book by Gary Marcus explaining how evolution, similar to any other process, has led to both good and bad consequences. I highly recommend it to those who struggle to learn more about their intellectual and mental shortcomings. I consider it one of the best feedback anyone can get about his/her mental performance. The book can seriously help you put different things in their natural rather than exaggerated perspective.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing Book
By R S on June 9, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Whether you are a student, scientist or just ordinary person, this book is fabulous. I read it for my final report in AP Psychology and I loved it. It was so interesting and posed some really interesting points. Fast read chock full of information. It really makes you think about the mind differently.
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5.0 out of 5 starsengaging, clear, and thought provoking bible for the armchair evolutionary psychologist
By Robert Reid on October 27, 2009
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
As someone who's fairly well-read but not (as several other reviewers of this book) well-versed in the specialty of evolutionary biology, I found this book to be engaging, clear, and thought-provoking. I'd recommend this particularly to those interested in philosophy, psychology, computer programming, and the scientific method. What's most remarkable about this book is that although it delves deeply into many counter-intuitive qualities of human nature, it's utterly readable outside of an academic setting and offers practical advice on understanding of human failure and conflict.

Marcus' basic premise, that the human mind is highly flawed from an "engineering" standpoint, is highly compelling (to be accurate- this premise is based on the research of evolutionary biologists and does not necessarily reflect any originality on Marcus' part). In chapters on Memory, Belief, Choice, Language, and Pleasure, the author attributes many of the foibles of human nature to deficiencies in the human mind based on the fact that culture, deliberate reasoning, and long-term planning (vs. reacting in the moment) did not offer survival advantages over the course of the human being's adaptive evolution. Just a few examples of potential weaknesses described include: 1) a contextual (vs. "postal code") memory resulting in an average of 55 minutes per day looking for things we know we own but can't find; 2) an inflated craving for sugar, fat, salt, and sex based on evolutionary scarcity; 3) a tendency to believe things that fit in with our pre-existing beliefs (i.e., confirmation bias); and 4) a tendency to respond to anecdotes vs. data.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsGreat read
By Vandal on June 22, 2009
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book gives a great understanding of how the brain works and why it works the way it does. Very interesting and easy to read and follow. Highly recomended.
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