The ten words quoted above are, according to Humphrey B. Neill, a potent factor behind the economic booms and busts that blight our civilization. "The Mississippi Bubble," Hollands incredible "Tulipmania," and the New York stock market crash in 1929 are historic examples of disasters magnified and hastened by the pressure of mass opinion.
In exactly the opposite direction, in the years immediately following the close of World War II, ominous popular forecasts of business recession turned out to be wrong. What actually happened was-a business boom, not a business bust!
The reason is no mystery to anyone versed in the contrary way of thought-the practical application of the Neill Theory of Contrary Opinion. Today, this Theory-which began as one man's quest for a way to solve the puzzles of economic trends-has expanded enormously in both scope and significance.
In THE ART OF CONTRARY THINKING you will find the answer to a question increasingly asked by persons of affairs and influence: Contrary Opinion-what is it?. . .What will it do for me?
Mr. Neill also cites past writers who analyzed the behavior of man, and how he gets caught up in the "herd". While sometimes getting off the subject, Mr. Neill lays out a clear framwork of how one assesses what the "popular" opinion is, and how to teach yourself not to get caught up in the herd and to think independantly.
A highly recommended book for those who wish to understand how contrary minds think, or for those who need a "refresher" (getting your mind out of a rut according to Neill).
I read this book and have learned the value of consistent questioning the validity of my assumptions. I am involved in a business that is on the bleeding edge of technology. You must question and re-question everything on a frequent basis or you will find yourself yesterday's news. Will this book help you to develop the approach to be successful? YES. The rest is up to you."DONT BE THINKLESS" An excellent book if you want to think!, what I meant by that is, the author gives you scenarios about when you would use contrary thinking and you have to think and apply the scenario to a time that you have in mind,also talks about mass crowd mentalaty,what kind of people follow the crowd etc.
