Think Like a Freak: Secrets of the Rogue Economist - Softcover

Levitt, Steven D.; Dubner, Stephen J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141980117 ISBN 13: 9780141980119

Publisher: Penguin, 2015

Synopsis

In this Freak 'how-to' guide, the mavericks behind the Freakonomics phenomenon teach you their secrets: how to challenge conventional wisdom, unravel life's secret codes and think differently - that is, think like a Freak. Levitt and Dubner see the world like no-one else. Now you can too.

'My gut reaction to this life-changing book is "Where have you been all my life?" You will turn pages with delight' Jeffery Taylor, Sunday Express

'Captivating, intellectually robust, funny, surprising and wise. What else can one ask?' Daniel Finkelstein, The Times

'Illuminating, good fun, endearing, genial ... I was delighted' Philip Roscoe, The Times Higher Education

'It's about how to look at the world, and see the ugly truth ... excellent stuff' William Leith, Spectator

'A phenomenon ... their approach has won them a cult following' Observer

About this title

Review:

Think Like a Freak is not a book about how to understand magic tricks. That's what Dubner and Levitt's first two books - Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics - were about. It's about the attitude we need to take towards the tricks and the problems that the world throws at us. Dubner and Levitt have a set of prescriptions about what that attitude comes down to, but at its root it comes down to putting yourself in the mind of the child, gazing upwards at the double lift: free yourself from expectations, be prepared for a really really simple explanation, and let your attention wander from time to time . . . Utterly captivating (Malcolm Gladwell (author of Blink))

From the Back Cover:

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally--to think, that is, like a Freak.

Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.

Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:

• First, put away your moral compass--because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it.
• Learn to say "I don't know"--for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.
• Think like a child--because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.
• Take a master class in incentives--because for better or worse, incentives rule our world.
• Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuaded--because being right is rarely enough to carry the day.
• Learn to appreciate the upside of quitting--because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing--and so much fun to read.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0141980117
• ISBN 13: 9780141980119
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304