Some experts claim that the metaphor is limiting insights on the cutting edge of neuroscience more than it’s aiding them. Today, the question of whether or not we should view the brain as a complex computer is at the heart of a fierce debate. Finally, we’ll discuss a couple of miscellaneous algorithms that don’t fit into the other categories.Ĭhristian and Griffiths aren’t the first to compare the brain to a computer as the basis for their argument-researchers have been using this analogy for decades. Third, we’ll show off algorithms to help you solve difficult problems. Second, we’ll detail some algorithms to help you organize your life. We’re going to discuss all eleven of Christian and Griffiths’s “algorithms to live by,” which we’ve divided into four categories: First, we’ll take a look at algorithms intended to help you make better decisions. Consequently, many of the algorithms, or sets of instructions, that computers use to solve their problems work just as well in our own lives. Both humans and computers are motivated to use their limited resources (which include memory, attention, and time) as optimally as possible.

The authors assert that this is true because humans and computers face very similar problems. The authors of Algorithms to Live By argue that, by utilizing the same strategies as computers, we can do the same. Computers can process tasks with blinding efficiency and quickly come up with creative solutions to complex problems. In Algorithms to Live By, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths make the case that computer science, a field that’s typically seen as highly specialized, actually contains a wealth of practical knowledge we can use to improve our lives. We’ll also compare and contrast Christian and Griffiths’s advice to more traditional self-help perspectives on the same topics, such as the productivity advice in Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! and organizational advice in Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.ġ-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of Algorithms to Live By In this guide, you’ll learn how to schedule your to-do list the same way computers do, why making random decisions is sometimes the smartest thing to do, and why you should reject the first 37% of jobs in your search for employment. Is it possible that the age-old question of how best to live has already been solved by computer engineers? In Algorithms to Live By, science writer Brian Christian and Berkeley psychologist Tom Griffiths team up to prove that computer science is a fount of unconventional wisdom with practical value in many areas of human life. Humans and computers face many of the same problems: We both have a never-ending stream of things we want to do and a limited amount of time and energy to do them.

Book Rating by Shortform Readers: 4.5 ( 193 reviews)

Brian christian algorithms to live by