About this title: You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do. In "On Being Certain," neurologist Robert Burton challenges the notions of how we think about what we know. He ...
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Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312359201ISBN:0312359209
Description: New. Brand new hardcover with dustjacket! Just a bit of ever so slight shelf wear but it is new, crisp and unread! May have publishers remainder mark on the edge just to assure it is not returned to the store. Product Description: You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do. In On Being Certain, ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Griffin
Date Published: 2009-03-17
ISBN-13:9780312541521ISBN:031254152X
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780312541521. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780312541521ISBN:031254152X
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Date Published: 2008-02-05
ISBN-13:9780312359201ISBN:0312359209
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780312359201. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312359201ISBN:0312359209
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312359201ISBN:0312359209
Description: New. You recognize when you know something for certain, right? You "know" the sky is blue, or that the traffic light had turned green, or where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001--you know these things, well, because you just do. In "On Being C... read more
"I liked it even though there was a lot I disagreed with. Burton shows how tenuos our knowledge is , but he glossed over one of his stated goals, to clearly distinguish scientific knowledge from other kinds of knowledge. His excerpts from Darwin's autobiography made the point, but he seemed to ignore the significance of Darwin's ability to know likely truth and to recognize likely self-deception. He could have spent a lot more time and effort showing how scientific knowledge is substantially different than non-scientific knowledge.
He plays down the scientifc method. I believe he does so because it doesn't support his primary theme, that we can never have certainty about anything we claim to know. Those he criticizes (Dawkins and Dennett) and other scientists recognize the difference between opinion and scientific evidence. I think Burton does too, but he ignores it in this book. In fact, Feynman rebuts some of Burton's overextended claims about knowledge with the following statement:
"I can live with doubt, and uncertainty, and not knowing. I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers, and possible beliefs, and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I'm not absolutely sure of anything, and in many things I don't know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we're here, and what the question might mean. I might think about a little, but if I can't figure it out, then I go to something else. But I don't have to know an answer. I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn't frighten me."
Like some other books I have been reading lately, this book helps me understand how irrational many beliefs are. It wasn't convincing that all beliefs are in some way equivalent, just because they are all based on an irrational hidden layer. The hidden layer is there, but science shows that some beliefs can be tested, and this is a significant fact which Burton barely plays lip service to. Maybe he's hoping for a Templeton award."
"This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I was doubtful it would be much good, but the more I read the better it got. If you're interested in understanding why it is that we think we know what we know and how our minds really work when it comes to the feeling of certainty, this is a great book. If you're familiar with Landmark technology, this explains some of the biology and neurology behind our overconfidence in our own knowledge. Great to read if you're a religious fanatic or a fervent atheist and anyone in between who thinks they know anything "for certain". We should all learn to be more humble about the views we hold as absolute. If I were president for a day I'd make this book required reading at school."
"A good book to read if you're stubborn, like me. This book is interesting to read just before or after The Drunkard's Walk as the cover a lot of the same topics from a different perspective."
"On Being Certain is an interesting and informative book. Written by a neurologist trying to get to the heart of the feeling of knowing and certainty. It will challenge anyone who would attempt to read it to doubt their beliefs and understand the biological basis and evolutionary reason for beliefs and certainty."
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