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Irrationality

by Stuart SUTHERLAND

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463853,117 (3.88)8
Why do doctors, generals, civil servants and others consistently make wrong decisions that cause enormous harm to others? Irrational beliefs and behaviours are virtually universal. In this iconoclastic book Stuart Sutherland analyses causes of irrationality and examines why we are irrational, the different kinds of irrationality, the damage it does us and the possible cures.… (more)
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» See also 8 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
Some of the psychology behind Behavioural Economics (and the arrogance of senior professionals who 'know more than laypeople). ( )
  Parthurbook | Nov 6, 2023 |
The writing was perfectly fine, but I was already familiar with the concepts and information. So I quit reading it. ( )
  SwitchKnitter | Dec 19, 2021 |
Although this book is nearly thirty years old, it was a thought-provoking read and definitely made me think, which was why I wanted to read it in the first place. Some of the examples seemed a bit old-fashioned and there was a couple of lines of argument that I thought were a bit weak, but on the whole, very interesting. ( )
  mari_reads | Feb 24, 2020 |
This is the first pop science book on rationality I ever read, and it made a great impression on me. Of course, this is now more than twenty years old (the first edition dates from 1992), and probably nowadays there are many eqivalent books, but this one gives a good overview of many common pitfalls in decision making, illustrating many cognitive biases: from selective evidence, to overconfidence and ignoring or misinterpreting evidence. So you wont' get exposure to the latest developments on decision making, but the topics he treats are still current - Sutherland was a psychologist by trade, and he seems to know very well what he was writing about, adding to this a gripping writing style.

One thing I learned is: if you phone your friend to tell him you wrecked his car, then tell him it was a joke, he will forever think of you as a bad driver, even if you returned the car he lent you in absolutely pristine conditions! The moral of it - careful when making jokes :-)

( )
  PaolaM | Mar 31, 2013 |
Good insights into how people think irrationally, very strong on evidence from psychological studies, with thorough academic references at the back. Nevertheless very readable and informative. There's rather less coverage on why people think irrationally and what can be done about it. Just getting a little bit dated I felt.

I liked the short chapter format; each one ends with a summary in the form of a short list of Morals to be drawn from the evidence in the chapter.

Personally I would have liked to see an appendix with the mathematical details of the various models for decision making that are explained briefly but referred to frequently in the text. ( )
  Thruston | Jun 27, 2010 |
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
SUTHERLAND, Stuartprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
EKINCI, GülinTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
REDHEAd, BrianIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Why do doctors, generals, civil servants and others consistently make wrong decisions that cause enormous harm to others? Irrational beliefs and behaviours are virtually universal. In this iconoclastic book Stuart Sutherland analyses causes of irrationality and examines why we are irrational, the different kinds of irrationality, the damage it does us and the possible cures.

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