The Hidden Half: The Unseen Forces That Influence Everything
Michael Blastland
(Author)
Description
Why does one smoker die of lung cancer but another live to 100? The answer is "The Hidden Half"--those random, unknowable variables that mess up our attempts to comprehend the world. We humans are very clever creatures--but we're idiots about how clever we really are. This entertaining and ingenious book reveals how in our quest to make the world more understandable, we lose sight of how unexplainable it often is. The result, from GDP figures to medicine, is that experts know a lot less than they think. Filled with compelling stories from economics, genetics, business, and science, The Hidden Half is a warning that an explanation which works in one arena may not work in another. Entertaining and provocative, it will change how you view the world.
Product Details
Price
$24.95
$23.20
Publisher
Atlantic Books (UK)
Publish Date
April 04, 2019
Pages
304
Dimensions
0.0 X 0.0 X 0.0 inches | 0.0 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781786496379
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About the Author
Michael Blastland is a writer and broadcaster. He was the originator and first producer of BBC Radio 4's More or Less, Britain's most authoritative guide to numbers and evidence in public argument. He is the coauthor with Andrew Dilnot of The Numbers Game and the coauthor with David Spiegelhalter of The Norm Chronicles.
Reviews
"Blastland would like us to embrace 'how ingeniously the world creates difference, ' and to treat such abstractions as a potentially positive force in our understanding of science, economics, policymaking, and business. We'd be wise to listen." --Foreword Reviews
"This excellent work makes a convincing appeal for intellectual humility in the face of the unknowable." --Publishers Weekly
"This excellent work makes a convincing appeal for intellectual humility in the face of the unknowable." --Publishers Weekly
