''Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind'' is a 2008 non-fiction book by American psychologist

Gary Marcus Gary Fred Marcus (born 1970) is an American psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author, known for his research on the intersection of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence (AI). Marcus is professor ''emeritus'' of ps ...

. A "

kluge Kluge (, ) is a German-derived surname. In German, capitalizing, and adding a final to, the adjective (meaning "clever"), creates a noun meaning "clever one". Although the adjective is a feminine form, the noun can be feminine, neuter or masc ...

" is a patched-together solution for a problem, clumsily assembled from whatever materials are immediately available. Marcus's book argues that the human brain employs many such kluges, and that

evolutionary psychology Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regard to the ancestral problems they evolved ...

often favors genes that give "immediate advantages" over genes that provide long-term value. The book explores how evolution has led to cognitive imperfections, such as unreliable memory and irrational beliefs. Marcus suggests that these mental flaws are the result of evolutionary compromises rather than intelligent design.

External links

Book review
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

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Book review
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The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

References

2008 non-fiction books Psychology books {{Psych-book-stub