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Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (平装)
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
| Category:
Non-fiction, Business |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Freaky, fun and thought-provoking, this wonderfully popular non-fiction book is full of weird insights and surprising conclusions. |
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AllReviews |
  1 2 3 Total 3 pages 23 items |
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Jerry Sanchez (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
For all the hype of this book, I found it to be good, but not great. Sure the authors show their research skills and abilities to analyze and piece together data to come up with logical and reasonable conclusions, but to me, many of the conclusions should be subject to further scrutiny. The book was also shorter than I expected, but I did enjoy the bonus features of the revised and expanded version. In short, don't run out and buy this book (as apparently many people have, based on the length of time this book has been on the Best Seller List), but do read through it when it's available at your local library. There is nothing in Freakonomics that is groundbreaking, but all in all, the ideas are worth reading sometime. |
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An Amazon.com reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
In political a world dominated by curt "truisms," religious dogma, and emotional appeals that fit into 30-second spots, Dubner and Levitt have introduced a rare element of calm, sober reason into many of the most controversial issues of our time. It smells like a breath of fresh air.
It's not the most high-brow piece of literature, and anyone with a little background in math or economics will hunger for a bit more substance. In other words, Dubner tends to skip over much of the reasoning behind Levitt's conclusions. Still, it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in knowing the truth, whether or not it happens to be convenient. |
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An Amazon.com reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Freakonomics is a collaboration between a brilliant academic and a journalist who knows how to communicate the academic's ideas to a broad audience. The result is an easy to read but rigorous discourse on a wide variety of topics including cheating, racism and good parenting.
Levitt uses an economic / statistics lens to delve deeper into daily events and phenomenon that we all observe and wonder about. This is precisely what makes the book interesting. However, unlike most of us who just hypothesize and think for a few moments before moving on the next thing to be done - Levitt analyses the same phenomenon using complex statistical techniques using reliable reams of data.
Fear not though! The book does not discuss the methods in any great detail but focuses on the results and their various interpretations. Levitt encourages the reader not to blindly accept conventional wisdom but question and probe constantly.
Apart from a discourse on some very interesting topics (do genes matter more than parenting? is legalizing abortion and decrease in crime linked?) - the book is also a great introduction to modern scientific methodology. How to question and probe? How to find the right data? How to conduct an investigation? Levitt also warns against common errors people can make when presented with the results of scientific studies. He provides some pointers on how to avoid simplistic `jump-to-conclusion' errors.
However, the book is not without its flaws. First, as many have already pointed out - there is no link between the chapters and some of the progressions are jarring. The authors admit this in the introduction. However, I did not find this to be a major problem. Second, some of the chapters seem to be written in a hurry and need rewriting. In particular, the last chapter focuses too much reporting of data rather than on the interpretation of the results.
Overall, Freakonomics is a great book and well worth your time and money. It's written to be accessible and is very easy to read. Given the easy style and the solid underlying science - physicists and linguists are as likely to enjoy it as lifeguards and bikers. |
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1 2 3 Total 3 pages 23 items |
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