162 | Leidy Klotz on Our Resistance to Subtractive Change

162 | Leidy Klotz on Our Resistance to Subtractive Change

There is no general theory of problem-solving, or even a reliable set of principles that will usually work. It's therefore interesting to see how our brains actually go about solving problems. Here's an interesting feature that you might not have guessed: when faced with an imperfect situation, our first move to improve it tends to involve adding new elements, rather than taking away. We are, in general, resistant to subtractive change. Leidy Klotz is an engineer and designer who has worked with psychologists and neuroscientists to study this phenomenon. We talk about how our relative blindness to subtractive possibilities manifests itself, and what lessons might be for design more generally.

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Leidy Klotz received his Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University. He is currently Copenhaver Associate Professor of Engineering Systems and Environment and Architecture at the University of Virginia. Before becoming a professor, he worked as a school designer, and before that was a professional soccer player for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. His new book is Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less.


Episoder(416)

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46 | Kate Darling on Our Connections with Robots

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45 | Leonard Susskind on Quantum Information, Quantum Gravity, and Holography

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42 | Natalya Bailey on Navigating Earth Orbit and Beyond

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41 | Steven Strogatz on Synchronization, Networks, and the Emergence of Complex Behavior

41 | Steven Strogatz on Synchronization, Networks, and the Emergence of Complex Behavior

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8 Apr 20191h 14min

40 | Adrienne Mayor on Gods and Robots in Ancient Mythology

40 | Adrienne Mayor on Gods and Robots in Ancient Mythology

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39 | Malcolm MacIver on Sensing, Consciousness, and Imagination

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