World Beyond Your Head: How To Flourish In An Age Of Distraction, The
Author: Crawford, Matthew
ISBN: 9780241018484
Publisher: Viking
Year First Published: 2015
Pages: 320
Dimensions: 218mm x 137mm x 22mm
Format: Paperback / softback
Description
Why do we feel overwhelmed by the ever-increasing demands on our attention? And how do we focus on what's really important in our lives? In this brilliant follow-up to his international bestseller The Case for Working with Your Hands, the widely acclaimed thinker Matthew Crawford investigates the challenge of mastering one's own mind. For we often complain today about our mental lives being fractured and our focus being disrupted - but he shows that this current crisis of attention is only superficially the result of digital technology. It should really be understood as the result of long-held assumptions of individualism in Western culture that are profoundly at odds with human nature. Exploring the intense focus of ice-hockey players, the zoned-out behaviour of gambling addicts, the inherited craft of building pipe organs and the familiar hassles of daily life, Crawford shows that, far from being isolated minds, we are inherently physical and social beings, born into a world shaped by previous generations. In order to flourish, we need to establish meaningful connections with the world, the people around us and the historical moment we live in. Drawing on the latest findings of cognitive and behavioural science, the insights of moral philosophy, reportage and cultural references from Mickey Mouse to the Kinsey Report, The World Beyond Your Head makes sense of a vast array of common experiences, from waiting at the airport to the rise of the hipster. It has profound implications for our attitudes to work, family and government. This is an astonishing work of urgent relevance to our times. 'One of the most influential thinkers of our time.' Sunday Times
ISBN: 9780241018484
Publisher: Viking
Year First Published: 2015
Pages: 320
Dimensions: 218mm x 137mm x 22mm
Format: Paperback / softback
Description
Why do we feel overwhelmed by the ever-increasing demands on our attention? And how do we focus on what's really important in our lives? In this brilliant follow-up to his international bestseller The Case for Working with Your Hands, the widely acclaimed thinker Matthew Crawford investigates the challenge of mastering one's own mind. For we often complain today about our mental lives being fractured and our focus being disrupted - but he shows that this current crisis of attention is only superficially the result of digital technology. It should really be understood as the result of long-held assumptions of individualism in Western culture that are profoundly at odds with human nature. Exploring the intense focus of ice-hockey players, the zoned-out behaviour of gambling addicts, the inherited craft of building pipe organs and the familiar hassles of daily life, Crawford shows that, far from being isolated minds, we are inherently physical and social beings, born into a world shaped by previous generations. In order to flourish, we need to establish meaningful connections with the world, the people around us and the historical moment we live in. Drawing on the latest findings of cognitive and behavioural science, the insights of moral philosophy, reportage and cultural references from Mickey Mouse to the Kinsey Report, The World Beyond Your Head makes sense of a vast array of common experiences, from waiting at the airport to the rise of the hipster. It has profound implications for our attitudes to work, family and government. This is an astonishing work of urgent relevance to our times. 'One of the most influential thinkers of our time.' Sunday Times
