The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.
Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally—to think, that is, like a Freak.
Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.
Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:First, put away your moral compass—because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it.Learn to say "I don't know"—for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.Think like a child—because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.Take a master class in incentives—because for better or worse, incentives rule our world.Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuaded—because being right is rarely enough to carry the day.Learn to appreciate the upside of quitting—because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.
Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing—and so much fun to read.
Stephen Dubner hat von 1994 bis 1999 als Herausgeber und Journalist für das New York Times Magazine gearbeitet. In den USA machte er sich insbesondere einen Namen mit "Turbulent Souls – A Catholic Son's Return to His Jewish Family", das in sieben Sprachen übersetzt wurde. Heute schreibt Dubner u.a. für den "New Yorker", die "Washington Post" und "Time".
Steven Levitt, geboren 1967 in Boston, zeichnete sich schon während seines Studiums der Wirtschaftswissenschaften in Harvard durch sein unkonventionelles Denken aus. Als Phi Beta Kappa Student erhielt er den „Young price for best undergraduate thesis in economics“. Seit 1999 hält Levitt eine Professur an der University of Chicago und ist Herausgeber des Journal of Political Economy. Zu seinen Hobbys gehören Golf, Pferderennwetten und die Renovierung alter Häuser.Stephen Dubner hat von 1994 bis 1999 als Herausgeber und Journalist für das New York Times Magazine gearbeitet. In den USA machte er sich insbesondere einen Namen mit „Turbulent Souls – A Catholic Son's Return to His Jewish Family“, das in sieben Sprachen übersetzt wurde. Heute schreibt Dubner free lance u.a. für den New Yorker, die Washington Post und Time.
