Paperback, 352 pages
Published May 10, 2022 by Mariner Books.
I found very few bits and pieces of new information in the book. I would have thought most of what she writes about is already common knowledge, but maybe I misjudge that due to my extensive reading and listening to podcasts. The writing itself was bland and there was not enough solid evidence to support some of what she writes. Hence, it was overall a disappointment.
Lots of intriguing ideas in here -- I've always enjoyed Paul's articles on cognition, assessment, and learning in the past, and the book doesn't disappoint. Some of this research was familiar to me, most especially that related to the relation of the physical environment to thinking, but there was also some that I was not as familiar with, such as gesture as a precursor to language and as an accelerator to language learning. The book's push is against the common view of cognition as an individual, independent act that occurs within isolated brains. Instead, Paul promotes the understanding that our minds thrive in extended relation to the world through our social relationships, our emotional state, and the circumstances of our physical environment. If all you take away from this book is the idea that you need to get up and go for a walk in a park to clear your …
Lots of intriguing ideas in here -- I've always enjoyed Paul's articles on cognition, assessment, and learning in the past, and the book doesn't disappoint. Some of this research was familiar to me, most especially that related to the relation of the physical environment to thinking, but there was also some that I was not as familiar with, such as gesture as a precursor to language and as an accelerator to language learning. The book's push is against the common view of cognition as an individual, independent act that occurs within isolated brains. Instead, Paul promotes the understanding that our minds thrive in extended relation to the world through our social relationships, our emotional state, and the circumstances of our physical environment. If all you take away from this book is the idea that you need to get up and go for a walk in a park to clear your head, or listen to your gut when you are making a quick decision, then you'll still have come away with something quite useful to your everyday existence.
