Final Thoughts

As the book comes to an end, one final story is addressed regarding the integration of women into the world of the Philharmonic and other orchestras. The story details how auditions for gaining acceptance into an orchestra went from a visual as well as auditory to just an auditory method. In the former, men were predominantly chosen for placement with almost no women ever making the cut. After a screen was placed up blocking the view of the auditioner, women began to be chosen. It goes to show a bias that existed by visual interpretation of an auditory experience. I found this to be quite a powerful example of the senses creating bias in judgment as many of the other stories of the book showed.

In the final pages of the book, the author points out the power that we have as people in our abilities to make judgments. The author makes note that sometimes we are unknowingly mentally overwhelmed with information when the information that we need to make a sound decision is much less than we think we need. This isn’t to say that at times a great deal of information isn’t necessarily a bad thing for there are times when we do in fact require lots of info to make an informed decision. However, the cliché of ‘less is more’ can often be a powerful notion when making a decision or judgment.

What I have taken away from this book is a greater insight into the process of snap decision making. By reading some of the stories and anecdotes presented by the author, I have become more aware of the biases that can unconsciously occur in the process of making decisions as well as judgments. I find it important to recognize these biases and try to become more mentally aware of them as I make split second decisions in my life.