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Book Cover for: The Intelligence of Intuition, Gerd Gigerenzer

The Intelligence of Intuition

Gerd Gigerenzer

People often confuse intuition with a sixth sense or the arbitrary judgments of inept decision makers. In this book, Gerd Gigerenzer analyzes the war on intuition in the social sciences beginning with gendered perceptions of intuition as female, followed by opposition between biased intuition and logical rationality, popularized in two-system theories. Technological paternalism amplifies these views, arguing that human intuition should be replaced by perfect algorithms. In opposition to these beliefs, this book proposes that intuition is a form of unconscious intelligence based on years of experience that evolved to deal with uncertain and dynamic situations where logic and big data algorithms are of little benefit. Gigerenzer introduces the scientific study of intuition and shows that intuition is not irrational caprice but is instead based on smart heuristics. Researchers, students, and general readers with an interest in decision making, heuristics and biases, cognitive psychology, and behavioral public policy will benefit.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  • Publish Date: Oct 12nd, 2023
  • Pages: 280
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.00in - 6.00in - 0.40in - 0.57lb
  • EAN: 9781009304894
  • Categories: Cognitive Psychology & Cognition

About the Author

Gigerenzer, Gerd: - Gerd Gigerenzer is Director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the University of Potsdam and Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany. Gerd trains federal judges, physicians, and managers in decision making. He has written award-winning books, including Calculated Risks (2002), Gut Feelings (2007), Risky Savvy (2014), and How to Stay Smart in a Smart World (2022), which have been translated into over twenty languages. The Swiss Duttweiler Institute has distinguished him as one of the top-100 Global Thought Leaders worldwide.

Praise for this book

'A fascinating analysis of human thought, offering a different picture from the conventional wisdom, from one of our deepest thinkers on rationality and irrationality.' Steven Pinker, Harvard University
'An important and entertaining book -- well-reasoned and well-researched. A must-read for anyone interested in gaining a balanced view of the role of intuition in decision making and the forms it can take.' Gary Klein, CEO of ShadowBox LLC