Blink

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

The Tipping Point has become a modern business classic, and Malcolm Gladwell's next book, Blink, has recently joined it on the bookseller's shelves. Blink posits the notion that our first two-second judgments are based on intuitive knowledge, and if that knowledge is based on what we really know and is not subverted or corrupted, it can be extremely valuable to us.

Gladwell is thought provoking, and his examples are compelling. But I'm having a hard time keeping this all together in my mind as a cohesive whole. For example, the failure of New Coke seems to discount the value of the "thin slice." Maybe it's because I didn't read the whole book in one sitting. But then, how often can one actually do that? Or maybe I'm just dense. Or maybe I should read it again.

It probably would be worthwhile. Gladwell has an entertaining style, and I suspect everyone will have to read it because The Tipping Point has so much credibility. So go ahead and read it too. You'll gain some insight. Though it will take more than 2 seconds.