More Than 4 Million Copies Sold WorldwidePublished in 35 Languages Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?How much do parents really matter? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life--from cheating and crime to parenting and sports--and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration ...
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More Than 4 Million Copies Sold WorldwidePublished in 35 Languages Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?How much do parents really matter? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life--from cheating and crime to parenting and sports--and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. Freakonomics is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more. Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, they show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives--how people get what they want or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing.
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The author likes to imply that he has discovered all sorts of new reasons for things that go bump in the night. No thanks; I'll stick with conventional wisdom. The main reason crime went down is because so many repeat offenders were still locked up. His statistics prove nothing.
Brian H
May 5, 2011
Great book, very interesting
Saw the documentary, wanted to dive deeper into the subject. Freakonomics is not any one theory or understanding, but rather a different way of approaching problems, questions, and data in general.
With analyses ranging from how Sumo Wrestlers cheat to why a kid named Loser does better than a kid named Winner, Freakonomics will make you forget that you're learning, and you'll come out of it seeing the world in a totally different way.
7pagodas
Jul 9, 2009
The Conventional Wisdom
The conventional wisdom is often wrong. The author (co-author?) makes some interesting points. However, he spends a lot of time demonstrating how the professor arrived at his conclusions - a lot of time. A lot.
Still, I'd recommend the book and I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to read more about this man's theories. But I'd probably fall asleep while he explained why he thinks what he thinks.
Almost exactly like I did in Economics 101 many years ago.
