How We Know What Isn't So
by Thomas Gilovich
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 95)
I first heard about this book in Usenet conversations where a group of wickedly smart people were developing the principles of baseball analysis that would become the new wave of baseball management. Building on the work of Bill James, those people insisted on testing the validity of long-established nuggets of conventional wisdom that often didn't stand up to scrutiny. When skeptical readers asked how the widely accepted values of professional baseball players and management could be so wrong...more
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Read in March, 2006
Author Thomas Gilovich gives us concrete examples of the ways in which people can come to believe things for which there is no genuine scientific evidence, and the common errors people make when trying to make sense of statistical and probabilistic data. He shows us how people can consciously or unconsciously delude themselves, and how we so often ignore evidence we don’t like and concentrate on evidence that appears to support views that we want to believe are true. The book is moderately sch...more
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
amateur psychologists, skeptics, critical thinkers
How We Know What Isn't So is an outstanding read for anybody who tends to be a skeptic or merely wants to be a critical thinker. While the author is an academic, the book is well-written and actually a fairly quick and easy read. The purpose is to explore how we come to understand things, and primarily it focuses on how we come to believe things that are not true. Whether it is ESP or alien abductions or more common myths like strange things happening during full moons, Gilovich documents a w...more
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Useful book even though it was written more than ten years ago. Gilovich illustrates his points with vivid examples and supports them with the latest research findings in a wise and readable guide to the fallacy of the obvious in everyday life. The last third of the book illustrates what has gone before with discussions of belief in questionalble or false beliefs such as special psychological powers and New Age health policies.
See also:
Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mist...more
See also:
Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mist...more
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Read in August, 2008
I own 2 copies. I've had one for at least 6 years. This is the 3rd time I've started it and I am determined to release and receive ;) whatever insights it has to offer.
Still, Stumbling on Happiness was similar material and *far* easier to read!
Still, Stumbling on Happiness was similar material and *far* easier to read!
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Read in September, 2005
Great book, with great theories, explanations, and examples. I enjoyed it thoroughly and have a hard time remembering how I thought before I read it!
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Before Blink there was Gilovich - this is a way better read and it will really make you question the validity of your beliefs.
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Read in April, 2007
Clear explanation of how to think about what is real and what isn't. Like taking a course in logical thinking.
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Read in November, 2001
recommends it for:
everybody
This book is a great introduction to various forms of common bias and error. Highly recommend!
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