The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters

(Paperback)

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Daniel M. Wegner and Kurt Gray are award-winning psychologists who have discovered that minds - while incredibly important - are a matter of perception. Their research opens a trove of new findings, with insights into human behaviour that are fascinating, frightening, and funny. By investigating the mind perception of extraordinary targets - animals, machines, comatose people, god - Wegner and Gray explain what it means to have a mind, and why it matters so much. Fusing cutting-edge research and personal anecdotes, The Mind Club explores the moral dimensions of mind perception.

Reviews

"If we could only mind read, we would know how our first date or job interview really went. In reality, we understand little about what goes on in the minds of others, even those we think we know best. According to psychologists Wegner and Gray, 'you can never be certain that other minds evenexist.' The authors explore these uncertainties, weaving together personal anecdotes and research on human behavior and perception to try to unravel the mysteries of the mind."Scientific American

Daniel Wegner was among the worlds cleverest, wittiest, and most beloved social psychologists.The Mind Clubisgenuinely novel, with brilliantly conceived studies on some of the deepest issues the mind of man can ponder.Steven Pinker, author ofThe Stuff of ThoughtandHow the Mind Works

"ReadingThe Mind Clubwill take your thoughts about minds to places you never imagined[Wegner and Gray] have created a true page-turner: witty, quirky and insightful.New Scientist

"A wonderful and strange book; science-fiction thought experiments ('robot versus baby') informed by social psychology experiments of fascinating design, part ethics, philosophy, neuroscience... authentically mind-boggling. And fun!"Boing Boing

"A layman's guide to understanding how humans come to understand the minds of others... where and why people draw the line between perceiving another (or an inanimate object) as having a mind or not."Brian Resnick, Vox

Daniel Wegners final book is a masterpiece made ever more precious by his untimely death. Thankfully, his brilliance and wit live onin these pages, and in his collaborator and protg, Kurt Gray, who presents their ideas with clarity, depth, and style. The Mind Club is not to be missed.Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness

One of psychologys greatest and one of its best young mindswho better to remind us to mind minds.Michael Norton, Harvard Business School Professor and coauthor of Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending

"A pleasure for anyone comfortable with the thought that knowing others' minds will improve our own."Kirkus

Daniel Wegner was one of psychologys most creative minds, and Kurt Gray was one of his most creative collaborators.The Mind Clubdescribes their biggest idea together using thought-provoking examples, clever writing, and brilliant experiments. Essential reading for anyone who owns a mind and wants to know how to use it!Nicholas Epley, Professor of Behavioral Science, University of Chicago Booth School of Business and author ofMindwise

Did he intend to cause harm Did she feel pain and suffer When it comes to moralityabortion, animal rights, legal culpabilitymany of the deepest questions boil down to: Does he or she (or even it) have a properly working mind In lucid prose, Wegner and Gray explore the profound nature and implications of this questionone that is becoming all the more complex as lines of awareness and intent blur in a world where technology is rapidly advancing.David DeSteno, author of Out of Character

An engaging ride through the hidden science of the human mind. If this book doesnt change the way you see the world, and yourself, nothing will.Jonah Berger, Wharton Professor and Bestselling Author of Contagious and Invisible Influence

The world lost an intellectual giant when Daniel Wegner passed. Lucky for us, his legendary wit and conversation-stoking discoveries live on in The Mind Club, and indeed in the career and voice of Kurt Gray, one of Daniels last doctoral students. The Mind Club draws you in with fun facts that hold grave implications for the meaning of life, loss, and morality.Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity and Love 2.0

Science writing at its best: informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Who knew that the debate over whether an embryo is human can be explained by the same processes that have you believing your car has it in for you Gray is a gifted young scientist who shares his insights in an easy, delightfully snarky way. But the best thing about The Mind Club is that it gives us one more chance to perceive Wegners mind, in all its glorious wit and intelligence; for those of us who knew him, this is a gift, and for those who didnt, its an opportunity not to be missed.Lisa Feldman Barrett,Ph.D., Director of the Interdisciplinary Science Laboratory and University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University and author of How Emotions Are Made

Author Bio

Daniel M. Wegner was the John Lindsley Professor of Psychology in Memory of William James at Harvard University, and recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association, the 2011 William James Fellow Award of the Association for Psychological Science, and the 2011 Distinguished Scientist Award of the Experimental Social Psychology. He is the author of The Illusion of Conscious Will, among other books. He passed away in July 2013. Kurt Gray is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he leads the Mind Perception and Morality Lab. He received his BSc from the University of Waterloo and his Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University. A recipient of the Janet Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Research from the Association for Psychological Science, he lives in Chapel Hill.