book data
445 ratings,
3.71
average rating, 161 reviews
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published
May 13th 2008
by Pantheon
binding
Hardcover, 256 pages
literary awards
Royal Society science book prize shortlist (2009)
isbn
0375424040
(isbn13: 9780375424045)
description
Leonard Mlodinow offers an irreverent look at how randomness influences our lives and how difficult it is to recognize. The Drunkard’s Walk reminds ...more
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avg 3.71
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
The Drunkard’s Walk is a book about randomness, a topic that most people, unless they happen to be mathematicians or have a strange fascination with statistics, probably don’t think too much about. As a species, in fact, we generally prefer not to dwell on randomness, but rather to assume that we are in control of much more of our lives than we actually are.
In this new book, physicist Leonard Mlodinow attempts to show why underestimating randomness is really not a good idea. ...more
In this new book, physicist Leonard Mlodinow attempts to show why underestimating randomness is really not a good idea. ...more
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6 comments
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
math-haters
Clear and generally effective, but never particularly invigorating in its claims; for better and worse, very chatty. I like math (NERD!), and would have liked a bit more of a challenge (see David Foster Wallace's Everything and More). But it's more fun than any 36 of 40 math teachers, so what the hell.
That's right, math teachers. I'm throwing down. Push the taped glasses up your nose, square away the sleeves on your stained-white button-downs, hide the pointy edge of your compas...more
That's right, math teachers. I'm throwing down. Push the taped glasses up your nose, square away the sleeves on your stained-white button-downs, hide the pointy edge of your compas...more
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2 comments
Fascinating book ... It was interesting how many people I spoke to about this get very passionate about randomness. Many people think acknowledging randomness is denying God.
The book is a bit chatty, and needs to focus a bit more on errors people make with statistics in their personal lives ... but Mlodinow hit on an essential concept.
I liked this lesson: that successful people are lucky, but that lucky people are persistent, flexible, and brave.
The book is a bit chatty, and needs to focus a bit more on errors people make with statistics in their personal lives ... but Mlodinow hit on an essential concept.
I liked this lesson: that successful people are lucky, but that lucky people are persistent, flexible, and brave.
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1 comment
Read in June, 2008
this book is great. it takes you through the history of how the statistics and probabilities we understand (or try to understand) today were first proven. It's amazing how probability is just simply not an intuitive thing for the human mind. be prepared for some anecdotes that will leave you scratching your head. Mlodinov examples of human biases are entertaining and thought provoking. Anyone who likes interesting factoids, data, or wants to understand the world better will find this a good read...more
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Read in October, 2008
To get to its core idea, this book passes through basic probability theory, human cognitive shortcomings, the history of probability theory, biographical anecdotes of mathematicians, and the Monty Hall problem, but it does finally end up at "The cord that tethers ability to success is both loose and elastic." (p216). It's easy to see patterns in what has already happened, and construct narratives about how successes are due to personal virtues of those who succeeded and failures due to...more
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08/02/08
Mike
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Read in August, 2008
A very good and accessible introduction to probability and randomness. Most people don't appreciate the fact that most of what we see every day is the product of chance. Social scientists are, ironically, sometimes more blind to this fact than others, because we are trained to hunt for patterns, and we therefore tend to find them even if they aren't there. (For anyone who does statistics, one way of thinking about this is that the typical social scientist routinely underestimates the magnitude o...more
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Read in December, 2008
Yes, I was an English major, so, yes, I LOVE literature, but my statistics courses were my favorite courses ever. I can't claim to be an expert statistician since I haven't run a chi-square analysis in eons and since I can only remember the phrase "data set" but can't remember how to collect one (kidding), but COME ON! Some of Mlodinow's information is interesting, but much of his logic seems unfounded and certainly begs some sort of question (and often a rather basic one at that). I'v...more
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01/05/09
Larry Evans
is currently reading it
Great history of the development of probability theory and statistics with a lot of interesting applications. Actually a really fun book.
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Read in October, 2008
The structure of this book, the latest in a recent spate to tackle some combination of probability, randomness, statistics and behavioral economics, is your basic statistics course. Or at least the one I took in biz school. A nice refresher if you're already familiar with the concepts, probably interesting if you're not. The final chapter ends on a pretty thoughtful note about how we humans have to balance the need to feel we're in control of things and the knowledge that in many many ways, most...more
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Read in December, 2008
This is a decent book on the basics of probability which then segues into a minor rant on how everything is random. I recommend it for those not mathematically inclined or for those who have not thought about probability in awhile and need a refresher. It is reasonably well written in a breezy style that goes quickly with most concepts clearly explained (the one annoyance is author thinks he is being hip by making pop reference jokes, unfortunately they are dated and tiresome pop references. ...more
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In The Drunkard's Walk, Leonard Mlodinow takes a fascinating look at chance and statistics and how they interact. He outlines the history of the development of statistics and measurement. He also explains basic concepts of how to determine how likely it is that certain events will happen, such as what the chances are that two people in a room of people will share the same birthday. The writing is fairly informal, the examples well picked and for the most part easy to understand.
Mlodi...more
Mlodi...more
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Read in July, 2008
I did an undergraduate degree in English, and you would not think that I would be taken in by a book about statistics. This was an excellent and insightful view of the logical inconsistencies and downright errors made by humans because we do not understand the nature of statistical anomalies. Mlodinow spends much of the book discussing how statistically improbably events happen all the time, yet we fail to understand the significance of given probabilities despite the fact that we interact wit...more
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Read in September, 2008
I am, admittedly, completely dense when it comes to mathematics, statistics, and various scientific theoretical discussions, but this book not only made me understand complex (and counterintuitive) analyses about how randomness is a key element in our lives, but Mlodinow's conversational, witty, and lucid discussion absolutely entranced me. This is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject, and even if you don't usually go in for this sort of thing, I really recommend it.
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Read in December, 2008
An interesting and scary view of the world. While sometimes I got a little bored, this book has some fascinating ideas that are fairly disconcerting to the average person. Mlodinow is basically saying while there are patterns in the world, that many of the patterns we think we see are just randomness in the guise of a pattern. On a surface level, this is cool to think about how we make decisions based on information that doesn't really help determine future events, but when considered on a de...more
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Read in July, 2009
I first came across this book while perusing the math section at my local Border's bookstore. The title interested me because when I was a student in college, the professor who taught my probability class was an expert in the drunkard's walk.
Mlodinow's book is an examination into two fields: one being the history of probability and statistics (and the difference between the two), the other being the flaws in our thinking that can arise from randomness. Mlodinow covers quite a bit of ...more
Mlodinow's book is an examination into two fields: one being the history of probability and statistics (and the difference between the two), the other being the flaws in our thinking that can arise from randomness. Mlodinow covers quite a bit of ...more
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Read in June, 2009
Unlike a conversation with a drunkard at a bar, this book taxed my brain. The book also depressed me some. Are our lives nothing but a futile search to find a pattern in a world of randomness?
At least the book finally showed me how you could figure out the demographics of a city of Phoenix (population 3.0 mil+) by just surveying a couple thousand.
Our brains do have limitations and weaknesses which the book points out readily. I do think we live in a world of much mo...more
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Read in December, 2008
An eye-opening read. The author describes how randomness "directs" our lives much more than we think. There are two main themes in the book. One is primarily a history of the development of randomness and probability, of mathematicians realizing that there was much in the world that was random, and that needed the investigative lens of a formal structure. Another theme is how we are made to see patterns in everything, and so are misled into making decisions based on patterns we think e...more
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Read in November, 2008
The Drunkard's Walk clearly shows that intuition and the math of probability often do not match. The book covers the historical development of probability, and rules of chance, and shows that even the smartest minds in math often let their intuition distract them from the real math.
This book would have been very helpful to have read while studying probability back in college. It helps to put the subject into perspective, and shows ways to think about the problems that clear up any i...more
This book would have been very helpful to have read while studying probability back in college. It helps to put the subject into perspective, and shows ways to think about the problems that clear up any i...more
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Read in April, 2009
The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow (pp. 217)
In subtitling this book “How Randomness Rules Our Lives”, the publishers have mis-marketed this work by confusing a subtle point Mlodinow is trying to make with the bulk of the content that has more to do with general mathematics and interesting anecdotes related to probability. Despite the erroneous labeling, it’s still a highly interesting read. The book is part history of mathematics, part...more
In subtitling this book “How Randomness Rules Our Lives”, the publishers have mis-marketed this work by confusing a subtle point Mlodinow is trying to make with the bulk of the content that has more to do with general mathematics and interesting anecdotes related to probability. Despite the erroneous labeling, it’s still a highly interesting read. The book is part history of mathematics, part...more
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I bow to those for whom this is a quick read. I paused often to grasp (or attempt to grasp) various aspects of probability and am still pondering the role of randomness in life.
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