Everything Is Obvious: Why Common Sense Is Nonsense

Watts, Duncan J.

ISBN 10: 1848872143 / ISBN 13: 9781848872141

Published by Atlantic Books, 2011

About this Item

This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,750grams, ISBN:9781848872141. Seller Inventory # 9975583

Bibliographic Details

Title: Everything Is Obvious: Why Common Sense Is ...

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Publication Date: 2011

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis:

Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why did Facebook succeed when other social networking sites failed? Did the surge in Iraq really lead to less violence? And does higher pay incentivize people to work harder? If you think the answers to these questions are a matter of common sense, think again. As sociologist and network science pioneer Duncan Watts explains in this provocative book, the explanations that we give for the outcomes that we observe in life-explanations that seem obvious once we know the answer-are less useful than they seem. Watts shows how commonsense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into thinking that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go awry. Only by understanding how and when common sense fails can we improve how we plan for the future, as well as understand the present-an argument that has important implications in politics, business, marketing, and even everyday life.

Review:

'Every once in a while, a book comes along that forces us to re-examine what we know and how we know it. This is one of those books.' Dan Ariely, New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational