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Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently | 
 enlarge | Author: Gregory Berns
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $16.16
You Save: $13.79 (46%)
New (39) Used (14) from $16.16
Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 6776
Media: Hardcover
Edition: illustrated edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 1422115011
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.8
EAN: 9781422115015
Publication Date: September 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
No organization can survive without iconoclasts -- innovators who single-handedly upturn conventional wisdom and manage to achieve what so many others deem impossible.
Though indispensable, true iconoclasts are few and far between. In Iconoclast, neuroscientist Gregory Berns explains why. He explores the constraints the human brain places on innovative thinking, including fear of failure, the urge to conform, and the tendency to interpret sensory information in familiar ways.
Through vivid accounts of successful innovators ranging from glass artist Dale Chihuly to physicist Richard Feynman to country/rock trio the Dixie Chicks, Berns reveals the inner workings of the iconoclast's mind with remarkable clarity. Each engaging chapter goes on to describe practical actions we can each take to understand and unleash our own potential to think differently -- such as seeking out new environments, novel experiences, and first-time acquaintances.
Packed with engaging stories, science-based insights, potent practices, and examples from a startling array of disciplines, this engaging book will help you understand how iconoclasts think and equip you to begin thinking more like an iconoclast yourself.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...
A healthcare person's perspective July 2, 2009
By way of caveat/background I studied all of these brain areas and neurotransmitters in medical school, so admit to subject area familiarity.
That said, I just finished Iconoclast by Gregory Berns. Basically a neurobiological look at innovative ideas and the iconoclasts. He was strongly influenced by The Tipping Point and to some extent is adding a fourth group: the iconoclasts who come up with the ideas the connectors, mavens, and salesmen spread.
I found the entire book an interesting synthesis of brain biology, social science, and history. I do not feel it is was as much a "how to be successful like Steve Jobs" as some readers are going to think it is. So if that is what you want, I would recommend you look elsewhere.
A handbook for the Iconoclasts June 6, 2009
More than a how to book this is a handbook for the tribe of iconoclasts to understand what makes them so and how to use their tendencies in a constructive way - to use the same examples given by the author - to use it like Picasso rather than die like Van Gogh or Howard Armstrong. Iconoclasts are normally misfits in the society, however if you have the talent you can find the fan following to become an icon like Steve Jobs. Gregory Berns discusses several factors that make or break the lives of an iconoclast including the way they perceive the world, their social abilities and their break-away from the predictive coding of normal brains.
Majority of humanity go with the group even if their inner voice or organs tells them it is wrong to avoid confrontation. Iconoclasts not only confront, they change it into a movement with their social intelligence (that is if they are gifted). They know the best way to influence masses is to find people with inclinations and turn them into true believers and use this small convinced group to spread the fever.
The key learning for me from the book was how changes in perception - the reasons could be various - physical decapitation (loss of an eye), technological synchronization (projecting drawings on a screen with a projector), ostracism (different outlook towards the society and questioning of its norms) - lead to processing of information and experience into a different level unfamiliar to the masses
 Wow! I see and think differently. June 3, 2009
I heard Dr. Burns present at Q Ideas in Austin and bought his book as soon as I got home. This is truly one of those works that transforms the reader. I don't feel like am the most brilliant guy, but I could digest the content of this book quite effortlessly. I have been applying the ideas and scientific research in to the faith-based nonprofit I work with, and I am hoping more people read this resource and apply it to their lives and work. I have noticed myself seeing others differently, and having a greater degree of grace for difference and how others think. I think this will have major impact on class, race, and gender relationships. I would Highly Encourage you to dive into this book head first.
Neurology, Barriers to New Insights, Ways to "See" Differently, and Powerful Stories May 3, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you want to be an original, influential thinker and doer, I recommend this book to you.
I admire books that can create a balance between story and fact. Iconoclast is quite well done from that perspective. If your mind is stuck in a rut, you'll get both some solid information and helpful inspiration to help you head off in a fruitful new direction from Iconoclast.
Before saying more, I must comment that this book is incorrectly titled. To me an iconoclast is someone who "attacks widely accepted ideas, beliefs, etc." at least as my dictionary puts it. This book is much more about "thinking differently" in a creative sense than it is about attacking the status quo as a rebel with a different perspective. As a result, those who want to be more iconoclastic may be disappointed in the content. Those who wish to be free of William Blake's "mind-forged manacles" will be pleased, however.
The book's main weakness is that not all of the stories are well chosen for the purpose. In addition, I felt that some didn't match what else I had read about the individuals. As a result, the book felt a little "off" at times . . . as though it was stretching too far to make a point.
The book could also have used more on the subject of how original thinkers can capture the popular imagination and rein in any anti-social attitudes that arise as part of their singular viewpoints.
It's a short book and a quick read. Don't be afraid to read about neuroscience. It's not painful!
 Title sounds interesting, but content falls zzzzz April 22, 2009
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was hooked on the title and its cover description. But when I started reading it, it felt more like a science class with nobody in the auditorium than any insights for me.
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