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How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Pantheon
May 2008
On Sale: May 13, 2008
272 pages
ISBN: 0375424040
EAN: 9780375424045
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
In this irreverent and illuminating book, acclaimed writer
and scientist Leonard Mlodinow shows us how randomness,
change, and probability reveal a tremendous amount about our
daily lives, and how we misunderstand the significance of
everything from a casual conversation to a major financial
setback. As a result, successes and failures in life are
often attributed to clear and obvious cases, when in
actuality they are more profoundly influenced by chance. The rise and fall of your favorite movie star of the most
reviled CEO--in fact, of all our destinies--reflects as much
as planning and innate abilities. Even the legendary Roger
Maris, who beat Babe Ruth's single-season home run record,
was in all likelihood not great but just lucky. And it might
be shocking to realize that you are twice as likely to be
killed in a car accident on your way to buying a lottery
ticket than you are to win the lottery. How could it have happened that a wine was given five out of
five stars, the highest rating, in one journal and in
another it was called the worst wine of the decade? Mlodinow
vividly demonstrates how wine ratings, school grades,
political polls, and many other things in daily life are
less reliable than we believe. By showing us the true nature
of change and revealing the psychological illusions that
cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives
fresh insight into what is really meaningful and how we can
make decisions based on a deeper truth. From the classroom
to the courtroom, from financial markets to supermarkets,
from the doctor's office to the Oval Office, Mlodinow's
insights will intrigue, awe, and inspire. Offering readers not only a tour of randomness, chance, and
probability but also a new way of looking at the world, this
original, unexpected journey reminds us that much in our
lives is about as predictable as the steps of a stumbling
man fresh from a night at the bar.
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