I was asked to comment here on Dan Pink's book, "A Whole New Mind."
If someone asked me for a synopsis of this book, I would tell them it is a fascinating, very readable nonfiction commentary about how the world, in the future, will be ruled by right-brained artsy, literary types. This book gave me a lot of food for thought, and after reading the required first three chapters, I was hooked, and had to finish it. I lent it to a friend, who I know will enjoy it. I think I will probably read it again. It is the kind of book that generates stimulating conversations. So the next time you are sitting around with nothing to talk about, just bring up some of the topics in this book, and you will have a great discussion.
However, this is not to say that I agree with everything Pink says. He seems to put too much emphasis on the idea that Baby Boomers rule the world. It seems to me that much of boomers' shift in consciousness is just due to old age! (Hey, I am a boomer, so I can say this!)
Pink's clever little soundbytes throughout remind me of an earlier book that supposedly was revolutionary: "The Medium is the Message."
Also, doesn't Pink oversimplify things a bit by attributing Asia's success to cheaper labor? Why doesn't he take into account the value Asians put on education? It seems to me that success in education has taken them further than their willingness to work for less than Westerners. If American students performed as well or better than Asian students, couldn't they have outsmarted them with better ideas, and have foreseen this current outsourcing trend? American ingenuity just isn't what it used to be.
Although the core of Pink's thesis is in the first three chapters, it was fascinating to read specifics about all the elements of his argument. I was skeptical of how, for instance, design could play a significant role till I was confronted with the photo of the Florida presidential election ballot, in all its confusing glory. And also, I got some great ideas on how to implement these elements, like design, story, etc. I plan to introduce some of these things to my staff--everything from trying out playing video games to having a laugh session. Should be fun, if nothing else!
Anyway, I have to thank Honore for giving us this book, as I found it a creativity goldmine.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Betsy.... I am glad that you liked the book and that you read the whole thing... I agree with you about Pink's oversimplifying Asia's sucess to cheaper labor... The Asians do value education and I feel that Americans do also but the difference between them I feel is that most Asians are not materialist and most Americans are therefore, they want more money for their ideas..ie. Pinks abundance theory. Even though I thought the second and third chapters were good, I probably will not finish the book.... I feel that he is too wordy with his explanations.
Good reading, this post is. I'd not considered the different value Americans place on eduction versus Asians - perhaps because we once did have a much higher value on education when it was not so easily obtained; perhaps.
Glad you read and liked the whole book - it is mind-blowing on many levels, at least it was for me.
Post a Comment