How do you know when you've studied enough to pass an exam?Should you accept the testimony of an eyewitness?How do you know when to trust a doctor's orders?The answer is self awareness. Self awareness is humans' greatest superpower. Like the conductor of an orchestra, self awareness guides the musicians of the mind - memory, creativity, intelligence and skill - to perform at their best. So why do we so often get it wrong? Drawing on his own pioneering studies, as well as cutting-edge research in computer science, psychology and evolutionary biology, Stephen Fleming shows how we can learn from this groundbreaking new science, and gain the edge in a rapidly changing world.

From the ancient Greeks to Buddhism, our ability to check reality and recalibrate has fascinated philosophers for thousands of years. Yet it is only recently that we've developed the technology to create a rigorous science of self-awareness, what we call metacognition.

Head of the Metacognition Lab at University College London, Stephen Fleming is the world's leading expert in this new field of neuroscience. In Know Thyself he explains both the vast potential of metacognition and why it is that we still so often get it wrong. Based on his own pioneering studies, full of cutting-edge research from computer science, psychology and evolutionary biology, made tangible with powerful real-life examples, Dr Fleming shows how developing metacognition can help us become smarter, make better decisions and lead more effectively.

While AI has been posted as the remedy to human error, its flaw is its lack of self-awareness. In the way a coach can dramatically improve an athlete's performance or a conductor can guide an orchestra through a complicated piece of music, Know Thyself reveals how metacognition offers humanity a crucial edge in our modern world. It is one that might yet turn out to be our saving grace.