The Art and Science of Making Up Your Mind

This highly readable book aims to teach the reader to obtain a superior second opinion - from herself. A wealth of often provocative examples reveals the wisdom of a master of applied decision theory. - Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize Winner, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Princeton University, USA A trailblazing pioneer in decision education, Rex has provided us with invaluable examples, tools, evidence and arguments for everyone to invest in their decision skills. - Chris Spetzler, Executive Director, Decision Education Foundation, USA Rex Brown spent all his working life thinking about how to make decisions well. This book is the culmination of his thought, and its aim is to improve the quality of decision making for all who read it. He concentrates on the essential ideas, illustrated with many practical examples, and avoiding most of the mathematics that surrounded the subject when originally formed. This excellent text is to be recommended to all who want a readable and straightforward introduction to the analysis of any decision. - Professor Stephen Watson, Life Fellow, Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, UK Did you ever think hard about a decision and later feel like it had been a bad mistake? After decades advising others and trying to avoid making more mistakes myself, I urge you to read this book now. No psychology or statistics, just lots of pithy, how-to-do-it, real examples. You'll make better decisions easily, and you'll have fewer regrets. - Andrew Kahr, Founder: First Deposit Corporation, formerly Assoc. Prof. of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, USA Rex Brown's The Art and Science of Making Up Your Mind is a non-technical textbook and guidebook for how to understand and use basic principles and tools of applied decision theory to deal effectively with everyday decisions and difficult dilemmas. Rex Brown is a wise mentor and reliable companion. He guides the reader through basic questions such as what is a decision and what is an ideal judgement . He then draws on personal, family and friends' decisions in professional life, health, illness, and voting to elucidate how quantitative decision aids and qualitative considerations help clarify problems and lead to sound decisions. An indispensable resource for students and all decision makers. - Professor Leon Mann AO, Professorial Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia