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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Willful Blindness summary
Margaret Heffernan
Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
15 mins
Brief summary
'Willful Blindness' by Margaret Heffernan examines the psychological mechanisms that enable individuals and organizations to ignore or overlook troubling information. A compelling case for the importance of facing uncomfortable truths.
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Willful Blindness
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Key idea 1 of 6
People tend to ignore uncomfortable facts and divergent views.
In law, willful blindness refers to the principle that a person is responsible for an action if he could and should have known something was problematic, but decided not to see it.
For instance, imagine a drug trafficker whose stash gets discovered at the airport. To avoid jail time, he might say that he was never told what was in the packages he was carrying and didn’t have any intention of breaking the law. He’d be out of luck, since the law isn’t interested in the reasons you were blind to a reality, only that you chose to be, in this case by not watching your luggage.
That being said, willful blindness applies to much more than crime. In fact, it’s common for humans to adopt such a position in a variety of situations, often with disastrous consequences. Just consider the housing crash of 2007. Virtually nobody saw it coming and willful blindness is to blame.
In the years leading up to the crash, the US housing market was expanding at a shocking pace; people with little to no income were buying lavish homes with small or nonexistent down payments. Since everybody was doing it, nobody imagined that anything could be going wrong.
Meanwhile, the financial sector was producing ever more complex financial instruments, like the credit default swaps and derivatives that eventually brought down the market. However, all of these investment vehicles were premised on the illusion of endless market expansion. People really should have known better. So, why didn’t they?
It all comes back to a single human impulse: the unconscious urge to surround ourselves with people who think the same way that we do. After all, challenging our views is uncomfortable. It’s much easier to reduce our exposure to people with different ideas and values.
In the case of the housing crash, the people who were pointing out the dangers had a difficult time making themselves heard or backing up their case because nobody wanted to hear a dissenting view.
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What is Willful Blindness about?
Willful Blindness (2011) is about a common phenomenon through which humans block out the uncomfortable realities of the world. These blinks explain how and why people so often fail to see what’s right in front of their noses and outlines the steps we can all take to open our eyes to the truth.
Willful Blindness Review
Willful Blindness (2011) by Margaret Heffernan explores the concept of deliberately ignoring the inconvenient in order to protect ourselves. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With compelling case studies and thought-provoking examples, it reveals the dangers of ignoring important information and encourages us to face uncomfortable truths.
- By highlighting the societal implications of willful blindness, it prompts readers to consider the impact our decisions have on ourselves and the world around us.
- Through its meticulous analysis of human behavior, the book sheds light on why we sometimes choose ignorance and offers strategies for overcoming our blind spots.
Best quote from Willful Blindness
You had to keep dancing. Why wouldnt you? It was fine as long as everyone else kept doing it too.
—Margaret Heffernan
Who should read Willful Blindness?
- Readers who have a hard time thinking for themselves
- People pleasers
- Anyone who thinks they might be growing out of touch with reality
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Willful Blindness FAQs
What is the main message of Willful Blindness?
The main message of Willful Blindness is that we often choose to ignore the truth, even when it's right in front of us.
How long does it take to read Willful Blindness?
The reading time for Willful Blindness varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Willful Blindness a good book? Is it worth reading?
Willful Blindness is a thought-provoking book that sheds light on the human tendency to turn a blind eye. It's definitely worth reading if you're interested in understanding our decision-making processes.
Who is the author of Willful Blindness?
The author of Willful Blindness is Margaret Heffernan.
What to read after Willful Blindness?
If you're wondering what to read next after Willful Blindness, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson
- The Art of Positive Thinking by Elizabeth R. Brown
- The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
- The Daily Laws by Robert Greene
- Drive by Daniel Pink
- Number Go Up by Zeke Faux
- Languishing by Corey Keyes
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick M. Lencioni