Thinking about thinking

Press, 7 May 1983, Page 20

Thinking about thinking

The Universe Within. By Morton Hunt. Harvester Press, 1982. 415 pp. $29.95. (Reviewed by Ken Strongman) This book is subtitled “A new science explores the human mind” and although it is an excellent piece of scientific journalism, this title is an exaggeration. “The Universe Within” is an introduction to cognition, a topic which has been part of psychology for at least 100 years. It can hardly be described as “new.” Cognitive psychology is concerned with what used to be called higher mental processes — thinking, problem solving, reasoning, creativity, language, memory, and so on. In the last 15 years or so, there has been a resurgence of interest in these processes, and many of the creative techniques of modern science have been brought to bear on their study. These techniques, and the results and understanding they have produced, are described by Hunt in a straightforward but enthusiastic style. He makes the most difficult matters intelligible to any reader who is prepared to do a little work, rather than being a passive recipient. One of the reasons that “The Universe Within” succeeds is that Hunt explores many of the topics by posing

Suestions which would interest all but le unconscious. How can you learn to remember long lists of items perfectly? It is possible to become more creative? How can we solve problems and makes choices without knowing how we do it? Can a computer outdo the human mind? The answers to these questions portray human beings as most impressive and intricate processors of information. Morton Hunt is a psychologist, but he did not base this book simply on the usual researches through the scientific reports. He also interviewed most of the academics who have become influential in the study of cognition. His knowledge is therefore current but is not expressed with the usual arid terseness of scientific prose. Nor is the book salted with references on every other line, although the significant names are there and the selected bibliography points accurately to the original sources. The price seems high, but its counterpart for a full academic text in cognitive science would be $2O or so more, for a product which is freouently not as good. “The Universe Within” is fine scientific writing and worth both the money to buy it and the thought about thought which it engenders.