What is Mind Pried Open?

For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the question of why people think what they do. Why is it so hard for us to really understand each other? What happens between when we learn a fact and when we try to share it with someone else that so often leads to the information getting mutilated? Why are most of us so easily distracted, so engrossed in the ephemeral?

One of the interesting aspect of these questions is that there is a debate, not just about the answers, but about which discipline properly should try to answer them. At first, they were the realm of philosophy. About a century ago, the social sciences began to weigh in. Now, in our time, neurologists and biologists have entered the discussion, armed with brain scans and genetic studies. This cacaphony of voices could make us despair of reaching any final answers, but it certainly keeps the discussion interesting.

My hope for this blog is that it can navigate, and sometimes add to, that discussion. I work within the advertising industry, a business that is predicated on the belief that a good message well delivered can make people think differently. So one area I will return to frequently is why some ads work: not just whether they are clever or visually arresting, but how they might act on a mind.

But the scope of this blog will be somewhat broad: I want to explore how we prioritize, gather and retain information, how we use that information to form, support or challenge our beliefs, and how we transmit it to others. Much of what I write will be inspired by my reading on this topic, but also personal observations and, from time to time, some poorly substantiated opinions.

This is a bit of a departure from what I have blogged about in the past, so any feedback, criticism, or suggestions of topics to cover will be most appreciated.

I hope you enjoy what follows,

Dan