<![CDATA[The Logic of Life]]>

false <![CDATA[The Logic of Life]]> 1249095 11 Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany altar? Thorny questions–and you might be surprised to hear the answers coming from an economist. But Tim Harford, award-winning journalist and author of the bestseller The Undercover Economist, likes to spring surprises. In this deftly reasoned book, Harford argues that life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work, and Harford shows these incentives emerging in the most unlikely places. Using tools ranging from animal experiments to supercomputer simulations, an ambitious new breed of economist is trying to unlock the secrets of society. The Logic of Life is the first book to map out the astonishing insights and frustrating blind spots of this new economics in a way that anyone can enjoy. The Logic of Life presents an X-ray image of human life, stripping away the surface to show us a picture that is revealing, enthralling, and sometimes disturbing. The stories that emerge are not about data or equations but about people: the athlete who survived a shocking murder attempt, the computer geek who beat the hard-bitten poker pros, the economist who defied Henry Kissinger and faked an invasion of Berlin, the king who tried to buy off a revolution. Once you’ve read this quotable and addictive book, life will never look the same again. 2957032 15 1 2008 The Logic of Life total:300|5:53|4:129|3:99|2:15|1:4| 300 1112 657 54 4 1 false false Tue Apr 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 16:30:47 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 13:25:33 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 18 20:53:37 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 18 21:08:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 10:04:08 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 10:04:31 -0700 2009
Economists no longer just propose fiscal policies, forecast business growth, investigate interest rates and assign value to financial assets. Now they also conduct lab experiments, research teenagers’ sexual activities, ana...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 18:43:02 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 19:31:09 -0700 2009
While I may enjoy it, it is going to l...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 18:43:04 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 13 16:22:00 -0800 2008
BUT: I'm on page 4 of chapter 1, and my hackles are already up. Why? Because of the term "regular sex" being used interchangeably with "penetrative sex," specifically excluding "oral sex"...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 09:50:09 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 07:22:40 -0800 2008 The Logic of Life is a great follow up to The Undercover Economist, the author's previous effort. In this book, Tim Harford examines how rational choices make the world go round. Fascinating examples abound including how teenagers recently (and rationally) prefer oral sex to ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 06:24:30 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 14:31:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Mar 16 08:04:26 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 02 19:32:57 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 16 08:04:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 08 17:41:50 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 17:43:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 18 14:00:09 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 14:06:09 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 02:31:14 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 02:32:52 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jan 03 10:21:09 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 10:24:05 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Dec 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 23:38:41 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 18:20:01 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 14:17:03 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 29 18:54:38 -0700 2008
Harford weaves together the latest economic research to explain, among other things, why addictions are rational, more women flock to cities ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 27 20:46:14 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 20:47:41 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sun May 31 11:19:25 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 11:20:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 17:50:22 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 17:51:35 -0800 2009 1
Liked the beginning and middle, the end got a little slow.]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 07 08:45:25 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 08:50:15 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed May 28 14:35:17 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 14:40:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jan 02 08:45:09 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 08:45:09 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1303650