Finally,
I have found an independent reading book which I do not feel like I have to
force the words into my brain right before I have to write a TOW about it. Subliminal is
written for anyone interested in how the human mind woks, specifically the
unconscious mind. For such an abstract subject, the author, Leonard
Mlodinow, can safely assume that his audience does not know much about how the
unconscious works. This is especially so because even people that spend
their lives studying the unconscious, do not know much about the unconscious.
To prove his purpose that the unconscious is the base on which most
decisions in our lives are made, Mlodinow organizes his book using deductive means.
In the beginning, he starts off with pointing out some universal truths,
or the major premise of his deductive argument. He states in one of the
early chapters that, "We perceive, we remember our experiences, we make
judgments, we act-- and in all of these endeavors we are influenced by factors
we aren't aware of" (29). By
starting off with this mostly general statement, Mlodinow sets the stage for
his readers to show what he will be writing about in the book. His title being, Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior also sets
his audience up for a deductive organization.
Mlodinow starts off with the broad statement that the unconscious mind
does more than meets the eye, which is something readers of his book would
automatically agree. Then, in each
chapter, Mlodinow goes on to apply this statement from a large variety of
examples that can fit anyone that may be a part of his audience. If he had used an inductive format for his
book, then the audience would most likely have gotten lost among fancy
neuroscience diction without understanding the main purpose of his book
first. By using deductive reasoning,
Mlodinow successfully builds his purpose, as he will most likely continue to do
as I read the later part of his book.
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