Trends & Theory

Reviewed by Wanda Deschamps, January 29, 2021. In a world where there is no shortage of pointless debates, Eugenia Cheng asks us to focus on how we know what we know. The Art of Logic in an Illogical World, her fourth book, engages the reader in lessons about reason versus emotion, drilling down the points of an argument to their core and presenting them convincingly. … [Read more...] about The Art of Logic in an Illogical World

Reviewed by By Gail Picco (January 14, 2020) The Reality Game: How the Next Wave of Technology Will Break the Truth, Samuel Woolley, Public Affairs, January 7, 2020, 272 pp., $35.00 A friend told me the other day that if I wanted to see something good happen in 2020, I should plant a flower. In this context, I couldn’t help see Samuel Woolley’s new book The Reality Game: How … [Read more...] about The Reality Game: How the Next Wave of Technology Will Break the Truth

Reviewed by Wanda Deschamps: Are there any positives to the BS story? Yes. The fact we are talking about it is a good thing. Beyond that, the book’s concluding chapter Refuting Bullshit is a step-by-step guide on how to challenge BS, with instructions on how to do it nicely. “Be charitable. Admit fault. Be clear and Be pertinent are some of the suggestions.” … [Read more...] about Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World

Reviewed January 28 2020 by Gail Picco: "Heath wants to convince us we 'should shift more of our energies ‘upstream’: .And how we can—and we should—stop dealing with the symptoms of problems again and again and start fixing them' in a systemic way..............." … [Read more...] about Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

Reviewed Dec 20 2019 by Christopher Barry: it argues that slow growth is nothing new but what makes it particularly worrying is the fraying of the social contract that we see across all affected countries. We seem to be back in the Dickensian world of Hard Times with the haves facing off against the increasingly alienated have-nots with no resolution in sight." … [Read more...] about Good Economics for Hard Times