Driven: How Human Nature Shapes our Choices

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TOWARD A UNIFIED UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN NATURE

The proper study for mankind is man.

—ALEXANDER POPE

I won't take no for an answer,” Kirk told his doctor. “I'm fifty-four. I'm not ready to just pack it up and die. I'm a fighter. You're my last hope…. I don't give a tinker's damn about the product. In your world, what matters is new knowledge that can lead to curing a disease. For me, the product means nothing. It can be oil or platinum or software or widgets. For me, it's the delicious pleasure of seeing where to go before the crowd does; the challenge of making fast decisions; the fun of everyone trying to outsmart everyone else. It's all a shell game played for big money.”

Kirk was a high-stakes investor whose body was riddled with cancer. ...