![]() Mihaly, was interested in what Skinner’s ideas were lacking: So, I won’t go into detail, other than to say that Skinner’s concepts are still very much felt today – and some would argue more than ever since school closures due to the pandemic. He was highly influential in education thought and practices as well. At his height, he was on Television, on Government committees, and magazines. This is not a personal, self-help book, though that may be a part of it rather, this is an exacting exploration into history, industry and economics and our society.Īs educators we all know BF Skinner, but perhaps not how influential he was to forming our current education system, and how we think of motivation. It is this personal experience that makes this book very readable, even as he draws upon in-depth research and interviews with experts in their field. The book begins, and has a thread throughout, of Hari’s personal realization of the impact of the systems and structures in our society that are tugging at our attention and focus. You would be interested in this book if you are:ġ) Looking to explore personal and systemic causes of our inability to focusĢ) Curious about the pace and speed of the world and its implications to education and raising childrenģ) Embroiled already in a debate / argument / challenge with social media and digital devicesĤ) Wanting to take back your focus and attention in a world that is trying to steal it Is this book hopeful? Ultimately, yes – and encouraging. Is this book interesting? Yes, it is fascinating. This book explores the patterns and trends over time of humanity’s actions that have worked against our focus and attention abilities and skills. It captures the tension, the friction, the challenge, opportunity and hope that faces education in the face of diminishing ability to think deeply, pay mindful attention, and to learn deeply. Ultimately, this review concludes that Berlant's book is valuable call to action in the humanities and social sciences which utilizes numerous historical and cultural sources to paint a troubling critique of individual lives in post-war societies.Stolen Focus, Why you Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari, is a game-changer for me. This review also briefly pinpoints a few drawbacks or challenges to Berlant's book. Berlant draws from examples across disciplines and within numerous genres to make a strong societal critique of why and how people cling to false promise. Berlant delineates the good life as relating to four areas: promises of upward mobility, job security, political and social equality, and durable intimacy. Through a detailed discussion of the good life, Berlant introduces a compelling examination of social thought on topics related to sovereignty, slow death, capitalism, and queer theory. Next, this review critiques the shortcomings of Berlant's discussion as well as highlights the important contributions that cruel optimism presents in political and performative literature. This review defines the term cruel optimism which Berlant has created to describe the process of survival individuals undertake. ![]() In this book, Berlant explores how people in Europe and the United States survive neoliberal postwar restructuring. Abstract This is a book critique of Lauren Berlant's 2011 book Cruel Optimism (Duke University Press). ![]()
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