In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant--better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.
With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Surowieki concentrates on three kinds of problems. The first are cognition problems (problems that are likely to have definitive answers, such as: "How many books will Amazon sell this month?"). The second are problems of coordination (problems requiring members of a group to figure out how to coordinate their behaviour with one another) and the third are problems of cooperation (getting self-interested, distrustful people to work together-- despite their selfishness). The brilliant first half of the book illustrates this theory with practical examples. The second half of the book essentially consists of case studies with each chapter talking about the way collective intelligence either flourishes or flounders. Much of this part deals with business topics such as corporations, markets and the dynamics of a stock-market bubble.
Surowieki has an engaging, direct style defending his surprising central thesis in entertaining ways by, for example, talking about laying bets on football games and political elections; traffic jams; Google; the Challenger explosion and the search for a missing submarine. The Wisdom of Crowds is an entertaining book making a serious point and by the end of the superb first half the reader has been made to accept that, while with most things, the average is mediocrity, when it comes to decision-making the average results in excellence. --Larry Brown
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0385721706-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0385721706-new
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Reprint. Seller Inventory # DADAX0385721706
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780385721707
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 0385721706
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. New condition. Unread and unmarked. Seller Inventory # 000301
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliantbetter at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future. With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world. A revolutionary look at the way the world works by the "New Yorker's" financial columnist, this work investigates how large groups of people run their businesses, organize society, structure their political system, fight terrorism, and think about the future--all better than an elite few. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780385721707
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ00GUIQ_ns
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # WB-9780385721707