Book Description
In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant–better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.
With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies, and think about our world.
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The Wisdom of Crowds
I
If, years hence, people remember anything about the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, they will probably remember the contestants' panicked phone calls to friends and relatives. Or they may have a faint memory of that short-lived moment when Regis Philbin became a fashion icon for his willingness to wear a dark blue tie with a dark blue shirt. What people probably won't remember is that every week Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? pitted group intelligence against individual intelligence, and that every week, group intelligence won.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was a simple show in terms of structure: a contestant was asked multiple-choice questions, which got successively more difficult, and if she answered fifteen questions in a row correctly, she walked away with $1 million. The show's gimmick was that if a contestant got stumped by a question, she could pursue three avenues of assistance. First, she could have two of the four multiple-choice answers removed (so she'd have at least a fifty-fifty shot at the right response). Second, she could place a call to a friend or relative, a person whom, before the show, she had singled out as one of the smartest people she knew, and ask him or her for the answer. And third, she could poll the studio audience, which would immediately cast its votes by computer. Everything we think we know about intelligence suggests that the smart individual would offer the most help. And, in fact, the "experts" did okay, offering the right answer--under pressure--almost 65 percent of the time. But they paled in comparison to the audiences. Those random crowds of people with nothing better to do on a weekday afternoon than sit in a TV studio picked the right answer 91 percent of the time.
Now, the results of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? would never stand up to scientific scrutiny. We don't know how smart the experts were, so we don't know how impressive outperforming them was. And since the experts and the audiences didn't always answer the same questions, it's possible, though not likely, that the audiences were asked easier questions. Even so, it's hard to resist the thought that the success of the Millionaire audience was a modern example of the same phenomenon that Francis Galton caught a glimpse of a century ago.
As it happens, the possibilities of group intelligence, at least when it came to judging questions of fact, were demonstrated by a host of experiments conducted by American sociologists and psychologists between 1920 and the mid-1950s, the heyday of research into group dynamics. Although in general, as we'll see, the bigger the crowd the better, the groups in most of these early
experiments--which for some reason remained relatively unknown outside of academia--were relatively small. Yet they nonetheless performed very well. The Columbia sociologist Hazel Knight kicked things off with a series of studies in the early 1920s, the first of which had the virtue of simplicity. In that study Knight asked the students in her class to estimate the room's temperature, and then took a simple average of the estimates. The group guessed 72.4 degrees, while the actual temperature was 72 degrees. This was not, to be sure, the most auspicious beginning, since classroom temperatures are so stable that it's hard to imagine a class's estimate being too far off base. But in the years that followed, far more convincing evidence emerged, as students and soldiers across America were subjected to a barrage of puzzles, intelligence tests, and word games. The sociologist Kate H. Gordon asked two hundred students to rank items by weight, and found that the group's "estimate" was 94 percent accurate, which was better than all but five of the individual guesses. In another experiment students were asked to look at ten piles of buckshot--each a slightly different size than the
Customer Reviews:
Smart, Interesting and Easy to Read.......2007-09-21
This book was a surprise hit for me. I didn't expect to like it, but ended up loving it so much I just had to have a copy on my shelf. Surowieki is very convincing, in part because he takes such care to bring up alternative arguments and respond to each. He also keeps his focus fairly narrow, so the arguments aren't all over the place. I was especially fascinated by his discussion of experts. We rely on them so heavily these days, but now I know to question their expertise. This book has changed the way that I make decisions and the way I evaluate good decision-making in my elected representatives. I recommend this book to anyone interested in making good decisions. It is a smoothly-written book and you won't have any trouble following the arguments or staying 'into' it.
Don't expect a textbook.......2007-09-19
I really like the Wisdom of Crowds because Surowiecki succeeds in explaining complicated and sophisticated ideas in ways that educated people can not only grasp but also incorporate into their own thinking. This is quite an achievement, one that critics of the book have overlooked. This topic has not been open until now to such a wide audience.
Surowiecki never shies from even difficult and abstract statistical concepts. He draws liberally upon academic journals and scholarly books, writing in a style that is at once journalistic and educated.
Yet, Surowiecki never talks down to his reader. Instead he invites the reader to accompany him through an arcane (and dimly lit) maze of statistical practice as it has been developed and utilized for decades by social scientists and economists. The reader is rewarded again and again because Surowiecki points to a partially hidden jewel, holds it up for examination, hands it to the reader and then leaves it in plain sight (often for reference later in the book).
Thus, this book is a remarkable example, a model, for readers (and writers) who wish to bridge the gaps between educated professionals.
My criticism is along different lines. In this extremely visual era, the editors could have widened the audience for the Wisdom of Crowds much further if suitable images could have been commissioned to throw additional light on Surowiecki's prose. But, paper and ink are so much more expensive than artists these days, one can understand the limitations and constraints Doubleday (Random House) were under. On the other hand, why not put up a web site?
Crowds Oh Wisdom.......2007-09-19
Good book and I thought the pace moved along extremely well. There are some significant things in the book that are a bit dated, but overall this is a very interesting book. I also recommend "Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing" by Lois Kelly published 2007 to couple with this book. Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Food for thought.......2007-08-21
I found this book full of sweeping claims, generalizations and is confusing in its presentation. However it made me think. Overall the writer is saying that people independently working on a problem can in a fair vote be more accurate then the smartest individual. He then quotes examples for such behaviour and examples of when the crowds got it wrong when they acted not independently but in mass. I suspect that much of his arguments are sound.
How much I am not sure for example if I asked the average person independently if they believe there was much truth in astrology, I am sure that over 50% would say yes.
However since the book is making much comments, I hope to see some better studies coming forward.
Having said all this it has changed my views on decision making and how to do it.
Surowiecki is a gifted teacher.......2007-08-08
At first I was afraid that "The wisdom of crowds" was going to be a 250 page restatement of the law of large numbers for dummies. In the beginning it looks that way, because Surowiecki takes a lot of time to explain that the more people trying to guess the solution to a problem, each adding their own bit of information, the more accurate the average guess. Not very revolutionary at all (although possibly counterintuitive at first). But as the book moved on I got more and drawn in and impressed by the presentation, which is rigorous and supremely readable at the same time.
The book describes how crowds can solve problems of cognition, coordination and cooperation. It gives the conditions under which crowds are good and not good at doing so. The author illustrates with a myriad of interesting problems and case studies, some rather obvious choices (why do investment bubbles emerge?, why do political stock markets predict so well?), others more arcane (why did the gangsters in reservoir dogs fail?, why is it often easy to cut a line?). What binds these studies together is the way groups handle information and the good and bad institution designed to make them do so.
Throughout all the diversity, it is the great scholarship of Surowiecki that makes everything naturally fall into place. Being familiar with a lot of the material in academic form, I know how conceptually daring some of it is, but Surowiecki effortlessly reduces it to bite-size portions, without compromising much or exaggerating anywhere. Great reading!
Book Description
Most events that catch us by surprise are both predictable and preventable, but we consistently miss (or ignore) the warning signs
This book shows why such “predictable surprises” put us all at risk, and shows how we can understand, anticipate, and prevent them before disaster strikes.
There is a universal fear factor surrounding this subject: that society and the workplace are filled with disasters in the making that we could prevent if we only knew what to look for. This book plays on that fear and offers a positive, proactive resolution to it.
Customer Reviews:
Enlightening.......2007-08-27
The book jumps around but makes clear and valid points. A great eye opener! I would recommend this to students, leaders, informed citizens...just about anybody. I'm definitely getting more copies for friends and loved ones.
On Target - Bullseye - Should have seen it coming.......2005-10-07
Anyone who has worked for some sort of organization, government agency, business, university or whatever, will empathise with "Predictable Surprises" by Bazerman and Watkins. This book focuses on the early and late warning signs, the cover-ups, the denials, and the eventual consequences of failing to take action to avert disaster. I've been in far too many situations where I observed that the peple "in charge" (really??) were blindsided by their own limited vision to the realities of what was happening within their organizations.
There are two "Predictable Surprises" that weren't included. First, Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath in New Orleans. Anyone visiting that city and talking with one's professional compatriates could have seen coming what unfolded before our eyes. The warning signs and studies were out there and ignored. That's why those who had a reasonable level of education left town and paid attention to the evacuation notices.
The other predictable surprise that was missed was the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. I'm Protestant but know a lot of fine Roman Catholic people. I heard things as long ago as fifty years and knew then that this situation was going to explode in the public domain. "Predictable Surprises" provides the principals that explain why this particular surprise was kept under the radar so long.
An outstanding book that should be read by everyone working in the corporate world, a government agency, a university, the military, or a non-profit organization. Your life may depend on knowing what's in this book.
Predictably bad.......2005-06-14
A major shortcoming of Bazerman and Watkins' book is the failure to provide adequate evidence to support their arguments about what they call "predictable surprises", which they define as "an event or series of events that take an individual or group by surprise, despite prior awareness of all of the information necessary to anticipate the events and their consequences." Bazerman and Watkins build their case substantially on just two examples: aviation security failures leading to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and auditor independence concerns leading to the collapse of Enron and Arthur Anderson. Several other examples are discussed in less depth throughout the text, however many of these are not actually predictable surprises under the definition provided. For example, global warming is discussed a number of times; however global warming has been in public discussion since the 1930s, and today a substantial majority of people believe not only the concept of global warming but that current warming is man-made. By 2050, this subject will have been under study for 120 years and popular consensus will have been achieved for 50-60 years. This is certainly predictable, but hardly a surprise. The United States' looming crisis in entitlement spending also falls in this category.
Flaws exist in other anecdotal support as well. For example, Bazerman and Watkins cite aviation security failures as an occasion when overly discounting the future lead to a predictable surprise. Quick calculation based on figures provided in the book show that, using equal discount rates for the expected future cost of security and the future cost of disaster, even with a disaster probability as high as 10% for any given year, the airlines would be ahead on a cost basis. The total destruction of both World Trade Center towers and the massive ensuing death toll was not reasonably foreseeable by the airline industry; based on the typical passenger plan carrying 78 people, this was the equivalent of an absurd 41 simultaneous aircraft disasters! Given the cost of implementation and the low probability of such a large disaster, even at a full cost of nearly $50 billion, the airlines' decision to oppose security measures on a cost basis was reasonable. The full scope of this surprise was unlikely enough that it should not be termed "predictable."
Despite some good analysis of reasons predictable surprises occur and ways to avoid them, this book is critically weakened by its lack of evidence. Bazerman and Watkins try to make it stand largely on just the aviation security and auditor independence failures; however these are insufficient evidence for their broad analysis and conclusions, particularly given the weakness of those arguments provided. This book would be substantially more persuasive with more anecdotal support.
Predictably OK.......2005-05-11
In a world ruled by probability, all predictions eventually come true (no matter how impossible.) That said, ignoring the obvious can be disastrous, but the authors methods for prioritizing risk were disappointing.
Updating the March of Folly.......2005-02-23
The authors have found a memorable phrase to describe a depressingly common phenomenon - the occurrence of a disaster or failure that has been widely and often publicly predicted. The term `predictable surprise' will undoubtedly enter the managerial and political language.
They have provided a valuable analysis of why these predictable disasters occur and what can be done to prevent them (while recognizing that there are also such things as `unpredictable surprises' which can not be avoided through these processes).
The book is invaluable for the clear way in which it brings the elements together and for the vividness and immediacy of the examples chosen to illustrate the points. The result is a book that is very readable as well as being immediately useful, even if many of the points have also been made elsewhere by other authors. The book provides a template against which organizations can assess their defences against `predictable surprises', and I suspect that every organization will find gaps in its armour when it measures itself against the recommendations in the book.
The authors also use the book to mount a stinging attack on the failures of the American political system (and by extension those of other countries) and the need for fundamental reform. Their attack on the activities of the special interest groups and their direct responsibility for some of the worst disasters that the US has suffered is particularly pointed. One can only hope that the criticisms will be listened to and acted upon, and that politicians as well as business people will read and note them.
Throughout the book, the systemic, interconnected nature of the processes that lead to predictable surprises is very clear, but the authors do not, in my opinion, highlight the fact as strongly as they should. They do point out that depletion of international fisheries is a classic case of 'the tragedy of the commons', one of several archetypal forms of systems relationship, but virtually every example that the authors cite could well be illustrated with simple systems diagrams based on one or other of the classic 'systems archetypes'. Systemic issues require systemic solutions and the leverage for systemic change may be located well beyond the area of control of the immediate actors - another fact that shows up clearly in the course of the authors' examples.
It is probably no coincidence that I was strongly reminded of Barbara Tuchman's The March of Folly as I read the book. The perspective and coverage is different, but the themes of willful ignorance, willful inaction and willful pursuit of perceived short-term self interest as fundamental drivers of future disasters are common to both. If Tuchman were still alive, I would have confidently expected an analysis of Iraq to follow her masterful analysis of the Vietnam war, the American War of Independence and the drivers of the Reformation. In its own way, Predictable Surprises provides a contemporary update of the ways in which we continue the march of folly.
Book Description
Think about the last time you tried to change someone’s mind about something important: a voter’s political beliefs; a customer’s favorite brand; a spouse’s decorating taste. Chances are you weren’t successful in shifting that person’s beliefs in any way. In his book, Changing Minds, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner explains what happens during the course of changing a mind – and offers ways to influence that process.
Remember that we don’t change our minds overnight, it happens in gradual stages that can be powerfully influenced along the way.This book provides insights that can broaden our horizons and shape our lives.
Customer Reviews:
Leadership for Change.......2007-03-20
Howard Gardner, best known for his theory of intelligence, has written a thought provoking and intriguing book. The title of the book is somewhat misleading, as it deals more with leadership and communication, than with changing the behavior or personalities of individuals. Thus, if you are looking for a self-help book, a book on personal change, or a text on psychotherapies, then this is the wrong book for you. The book is more appropriate for political leaders, corporate leaders, or new supervisors, looking for some non-traditional ideas on the leadership process and on how to influence others. It may take some work to convert the ideas offered here into practice, but Gardner's book should prove interesting to those looking for some creative concepts that are not found in the typical business text on leadership.
Changing Minds: The Acadmics Viewpoint.......2007-03-09
A very boring book written by a true academic trying to help hands on people. I would suggest reading a book written by someone who actually influences people on a daily basis rather than this book which is written by someone who read about it somewhere else.
Start at the end.......2007-01-06
I recommend you skip the first part of the book and go straight to the epilogue. The book seems well researched and annotated. Gardner seems even handed about the subject, with no axe to grind. Mainly he presents a set of stories, and classifies the events in them according to frequently recurring phenomena (his 7 Rs) that inspire people to change their minds. I feel it's a step forward, but I had hoped for more. It's an old problem domain (one thinks of Aristotle's "Rhetoric"), and it remains mysterious. Most of the stories seem to revolve around faculties and universities and Harvard and Harvard alumni, sufficiently that I think Harvard Hubris taints it. Even if the ideas are good, and even if the stories support them, I'd prefer that Gardner get further out of the ivory tower, out of the Harvard parochialism, and into the real world. The ideas do seem valid, and I get the feeling Gardner knows much about how people think. But you probably should get "Selling for Dummies" if you wish to set sales records this quarter.
A Perceptual Map for Changing Minds.......2006-12-15
Whenever I meet new clients, they tell me that if they can just get those who disagree with them to agree they will have no more problems. Embedded in that observation is a belief that they have all the facts and have correctly interpreted those facts. A corollary is that anyone who disagrees is either misinformed or an idiot.
Usually, what I find instead is that my new clients have listened very well to what people have been telling them and haven't explained their own point of view very well. The right solution is usually to create a new solution together and implement as a cooperative team.
Somewhere along the way, the new clients forget the "us" and "they" mentality and wonder what in the world I did to help them. The eventual solution seems obvious in retrospect . . . and they forget that there was ever disagreement. That's how subtle the process of changing minds is. Except for the most self-aware, we just wake up one day with a new set of ideas. I'm reminded of the advertisement for FedEx where the leader asks for ways to cut costs. A shy man quietly suggests using FedEx. Everyone ignores what he says until the leader repeats the idea . . . and then everyone applauds. The shy man challenges the leader who defends himself by saying that he changed the hand gestures used to make the pronouncement . . . and that made all the difference.
In other words, we love to be in charge . . . even when someone else has changed our mind.
The whole process remains mysterious. After reading Changing Minds, those who find the process mysterious will continue to find it so. But those who have some insight into the process will find meta-models for structuring their strategies and tactics of persuasion and education.
The first 67 pages of the book encapsulate Professor Gardner's valuable work on cognitive thinking, including multiple intelligences, mental representations, and their interaction in six arenas of mind changing. At this point, many eyes would roll at the thought of such a complex matrix.
But Professor Gardner provides relief for the reader by using incredibly subtle stories to capture the primary ways to use multiple intelligences and mental representations to good effect in various mind-changing arenas.
To give you a sense of how subtle these stories are, Changing Minds has a precise example that I can apply to a mind-changing problem that I perpetually face, helping people appreciate the potential for 2,000 percent solutions (20 times better results from the same time and effort). Yet, I had to read the example a number of times before its power sunk in for me. I'm sure at some subconscious level I got the point sooner, but my conscious "aha" took a while. And I've read many of Professor Gardner's earlier books involving some of the same examples.
Professor Gardner is well known for having been the recipient of a MacArthur fellowship, the so-called "genius" award. With this book, I began to see for the first time the full range of his genius. It's impressive.
What's my advice for you? Read this book several times. Put it down and read it again in a year. In the meantime, read some other books about changing minds (on topics like negotiation, persuasion, story-telling, and so forth). Then, it'll all come together for you.
Seemed to be more interested in academics than practicality..........2006-11-14
I had pretty high hopes for the book Changing Minds: The Art And Science of Changing Our Own And Other People's Minds by Howard Gardner. It looked like it would be a good book for learning the art of, well, changing peoples minds. Instead it was an academic journey that I found difficult to draw applications from...
Contents: The Contents of the Mind; The Forms of the Mind; The Power of Early Theories; Leading a Diverse Population; Leading an Institution - How to Deal with a Uniform Population; Changing Minds Indirectly - Through Scientific Discoveries, Scholarly Breakthroughs, and Artistic Creations; Mind Changing in a Formal Setting; Mind Changing Up Close; Changing One's Own Mind; Epilogue - The Future of Mind Changing; Appendix; Notes; Index; About the Author
Gardner puts forth his theories of mind change based on three factors... four "entities" of mind change (stories, theories, concepts, and skills), six "arenas" of mind change (from nations down to one's own person), and seven "levers" of mind change (all words that start with "re", like reason, resources, and resonance). He uses a number of examples from history to show how ideas and people were able to move others from one mindset to another. On the surface, it sounded like an interesting premise that I could apply in my day-to-day activities. And at times, the writing almost succeeded. There'd be glimpses of the person behind the writing, almost as if there was a conversation going on. Then there'd be a retreat to academic analysis and pacing that made it a chore to slog through. His attitudes and preconceptions are also quite evident. For example, he seems to hold Darwin and his theories in high regard, while denigrating "fundamentalist" Christianity. Granted, this wasn't a book on keeping an open mind, but I didn't quite want to be labeled as ignorant if I don't happen to agree with him or hold the same views in life.
Someone who is heavily into academic theory or the study of the human mind might well find this interesting. But if you're a busy professional looking for practical insights to work with, this is going to be a real stretch...
Book Description
Leading Corporate Citizens, Second Edition, explores the insight, vision, values, and learning that it takes to add enough values to a company so that it becomes a leading corporate citizen. This innovative text operates at three levels of leadership: individual, organizational, and societal. The premise is that businesses operate successfully in society when they respect and are responsible to stakeholders, a balance is needed among sectors in society and with nature, and that vision and values can result in distinctive competencies that lead to value-added for companies of the 21st century.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing New.......2003-10-06
I am using this textbook for an MBA course on Social Issues in Management. Convincing MBA students of the importance of social issues is a difficult yet important task. Unfortunately this book is not up to the challenge. Its concepts are overly simple - attempting to reveal a framework in which business exists that once understood should magically reveal win-win opportunities for all stakeholders.
Book Description
A provocative departure from conventional thinking, Bad Leadership compels us to see leadership in its entirety
Kellerman argues that the dark side of leadership—from rigidity and callousness to corruption and cruelty—is not an aberration. Rather bad leadership is as ubiquitous as it is insidious—and so must be more carefully examined and better understood.
Drawing on high-profile contemporary examples—from Mary Meeker to David Koresh, Bill Clinton to Radovan Karadzic, Al Dunlap to Leona Helmsley—Kellerman explores seven primary types of bad leadership and dissects why and how leaders cross the line from good to bad. The book also illuminates the critical role of followers, revealing how they collaborate in, and sometimes even cause, bad leadership.
Daring and counterintuitive, Bad Leadership makes clear that we need to face the dark side in order to become better leaders and followers ourselves.
Customer Reviews:
Every Christian Should Read.......2007-06-14
This is a must for people working in Christian organizations and for laypeople in churches. There is bad leadership in the church and it often looks a lot like good leadership. Kellerman writes about the "recent revelations of wrongdoing by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church . . . that was so abhorrent it makes us all ill." She continues: "the idea that some leaders and some followers are bad, and that they might have something in common with good leaders and followers, has not fully penetrated the conversation or the curriculum" [of leadership training]. Her book is aptly titled for my situation ("My Calvin Seminary Story") where poor leadership derailed my career.
Brilliant, Bold and [Mostly] Useful.......2006-08-16
Harvard University's Kellerman presents an amazing, research-focused vivisection of the many faces and roles of bad leadership, offers reasons for their occurrence, and exerts a clarion call for identification and eradication of same.
Kellerman identifies seven specific types of poor leading:
1) Incompetent: lacks the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action with regard to at least one important leadership challenge
2) Rigid: stiff and unyielding; unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information, or a changing of the landscape
3) Intemperate: lacks self-control
4) Callous: uncaring or unkind; ignores or disregards the needs, wants, and wishes of others, especially subordinates
5) Corrupt: lies, cheats, or steals; puts self above any other interest
6) Insular: minimizes or disregards the health and welfare of anyone outside the group or organization for which they are directly responsible
7) Evil: outright disregard for even the human worth of others; egregious inhumanity.
As is common with Harvard B-School releases, the book is brilliant, innovative and analysis heavy. Prescriptions for change are succinct-- if you find this, kill it off-- yet limited in use: once found and destroyed, what do I do next?
Innovative and unflinching, it will be nevertheless most accessible to scholars and the scholarly among business leaders: a more populist rendering of the same discoveries, and prescriptions for improvement, would lift it far above the norm.
Coke Newell, MSPR, consultant and author, "Journey to Edaphica"
The Dark Side.......2006-07-01
The book stands out because it forces you to take a look at the dark side of leadership. It is about leadership in and of itself. The book has an entirely unique perspective on leadership. She looks at all leaders and how they measure up as leaders. Even if society views them as a bad leader she takes that and builds on some of their strengths as a leader, their weaknesses and not necessarily their intent. The actual process of leading is the focus. She also looks at the followers and their role in leadership. This I think is also unique to leadership. It is important to analyze the followers and how they can affect the leader. In looking at the dark side of leadership we are able to become better leaders and/or followers.
Excellent alternative perspective.......2006-02-08
This was very interesting and a fairly easy read. Looks at leadership away from the stereotypical definition of good. Adds to a big picture I had not seen anywhere before. Should be required reading for all management to help them see the bad guys they often miss or intentionally overlook in their organizations.
Concise would be nice.......2005-09-25
The "Bad Leadership" concept pulled me in. PR summaries on this book were better written than what I have muddled through so far. This book is word heavy. Barbara could use a little help from Suzy Welch, who I suspect helped Jack Welch with "Winning" an improvement in writing style of "From the Gut". Enjoying both Welch's books the improved difference is concise focus in Winning. The first half of Bad Leadership has been labor intense, with a modest return for my reading time investment. Reading for information readily consumable, this book has good intentions but modestly delivers . I have not committed to finishing, as there are better reads that easily pulled me away.
Average customer rating:
- Un avanzado case book de derecho comparado
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Good Faith in European Contract Law (The Common Core of European Private Law)
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521771900 |
Book Description
This book starts by surveying the use or neglect of good faith in European contract law and traces its historical origins. Its central part takes thirty hypothetical situations that have attracted the application of good faith and analyzes them according to fifteen national legal systems. It concludes by explaining how European lawyers, whether from a civil or common law background, need to come to terms with the principle of good faith.
Customer Reviews:
Un avanzado case book de derecho comparado.......2007-05-23
Zimmermann y Whittaker ofrecen una obra estructurada en dos partes, la segunda de las cuales justifica hablar de case book. La primera parte contiene cuatro estudios en torno a la buena fe, los que acentúan la perspectiva histórica. La buena fe, principio operativo en el derecho privado tanto de los sistemas jurídicos del Common Law, como del derecho europeo-continental de tradición romanista, la mantienen como uno de los pilares fundamentales de sus respectivos ordenamientos privatistas. Pero la buena fe tiene una historia y ésta se encuentra indisolublemente ligada al derecho romano y al derecho medieval. La obra, no obstante orientarse hacia el derecho comparado (vigente, por más señas) deja asentada esta perspectiva, que ayuda al mejor conocimiento del principio del que hablamos.
La segunda parte, como se adelantó, es un case book de derecho comparado. Los autores han congregado a un significativo número de autores, representativos de distintos ordenamientos jurídicos y los han puesto ante treinta casos que tienen en común el que sus soluciones pueden estructurarse en torno a la buena fe. Con ello, los autores colocan de manifiesto la pertinencia de observar las soluciones que los ordenamientos jurídicos proveen a problemas similares. En este sentido, es significativo observar las diferencias entre las soluciones aportadas por los distintos ordenamientos. La buena fe, principio ordenador de las mismas, se manifiesta en varias posibilidades de aplicación; la elección de la más o apropiada la hace cada ordenamiento en atención a sus valoraciones.
La obra es, sin duda, un aporte significativo y no decepciona en ninguna de sus partes. el nivel de los estudiosos que participan en ella es el más alto y ello ofrece garantías de seriedad. Debe interesearse por esta obra todo estudioso del derecho privado dotado de sensibilidad histórica y cuyas perspectivas metodológicas abarquen el conocimiento de las experiencias comparadas.
Average customer rating:
- A sanity drip-feed
- Read this book and keep on re-reading it
- Not just for the depressed, but for anyone who thinks...
- A MUST READ!
- A MUST READ!
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You Can Feel Good Again: Common-Sense Strategies for Releasing Unhappiness and Changing Your Life
Richard Carlson
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Customer Reviews:
A sanity drip-feed.......2007-01-14
The first time I read this book, I read it straight through and it seemed to say the same thing over and over again: I began to wonder why on earth I bought it. I am now on my third reading, and I'm reading just a few sentences each and every day. However, although the basic message is still the same on each page, "Live in the Present", Mr Carlson constantly gives new aspects to the message so that it drip feeds sanity into my brain. I wish I'd had this book 50 years ago, and maybe it wouldn't have taken so long to do its work.
Read this book and keep on re-reading it.......2004-01-26
Dr Carlson has written many self-help books aimed at helping us to find the stable state of happiness that naturally exists within us all. He has now written this book specifically for those of us who suffer from depression. The book contains practical truths that are so obvious that most of us miss them or at least bypass them in the rush of our everyday lives. If you are suffering from depression this book will help immensely. Richard Carlson will show you how your state of depression is as much perpetuated by your own thinking as it is by any chemical imbalance that may or may not exist. I have read this book at the same time as receiving treatment with an SSRI anti-depressant (Cipralex). While I am unsure if the SSRI has benefited me at all after 6 weeks, I am certain that this book has changed my outlook completely after two weeks and that it continues to do so more and more with each re-reading. If I allow myself to slip back into my old ways of thinking, the severity of my depression rapidly returns. The good news is that it just as rapidly alleviates when I get back on track with my thinking. The book is simple to read and may seem repetitious. However, if you are one of Dr Carlson's target audience of sufferers from depression you should read this book and keep on re-reading it. You will find that on each re-reading something will leap out at you with greater meaning than it did before. I have highlighted many sentences so that I can rapidly re-read them, and have noted down the keywords on the title page. This way I can pull myself back on track quickly. The approach takes some work to put into practice but there is nothing as hard work as being in a depressed state. The hard work, by the way, is only in terms of changing your habitual modes of thinking, it does not involve making lists and analysing things as do many cognitive (i.e. thinking) approaches such as that found in Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. I have found Dr Burns's book to be of some use also, mainly because it has helped me to identify particular types of cognitive distortion that help perpetuate depressive illness. This enables me to more accurately recognise when I should dismiss my thoughts, as Dr Carlson recommends in his approach. If you are depressed, low, angry, resentful, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, stressed, hurried, fearful or just not happy most of the time then read this book and keep re-reading it. I only wish this book had been available when I was aged twenty rather than forty.
Not just for the depressed, but for anyone who thinks..........2004-01-26
This is a life changing book. It shows how our thoughts create our perception of life. Our perception of life is our experience of life. It doesn't go overboard and claim their is no objective reality outside our thoughts, as some new age teachings do. However, it does say that it's not the circumstances of our lives, but our reactions to them. It does repeat it's central ideas several times, but sometimes it takes a while for something to sink in. I really liked the chapter on wisdom. My only problem with this book is the subtitle, because I read this book when I wasn't depressed and still got tons out of it. It could be read by anyone who wants to think optimally and discover happiness in life. I am only writing this review, because I have the hope that someone might read it and get solid info about living a better life. Carlson is influenced in his writing by a school of psychology called Psychology of Mind. Psychology of Mind is based on the concepts originally presented by Sydney Banks. I think this is the most clearly written of the Psychology of Mind books. However, if you read this book and like it I would reccomend any of the books from the Psychology of Mind authors (e.g Wisdom Within by Roger Mills, Divorce Is Not The Answer by George Pransky). Also check out Sydney Banks website and books.
A MUST READ!.......2003-08-18
Never has something I've read had such an impact on my life as this book has. In fact, I would never have imagined that a book could have this much impact on my life!
A MUST READ!.......2003-08-18
Never has something I've read had such an impact on my life as this book has. In fact, I would never have imagined that a book could have this much impact on my life!
Book Description
Praise for the First Edition of Common Errors in Statistics
" . . . let me recommend Common Errors to all those who interact with statistics, whatever their level of statistical understanding . . . "
--Stats 40
" . . . written . . . for the people who define good practice rather than seek to emulate it."
--Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics
" . . . highly informative, enjoyable to read, and of potential use to a broad audience. It is a book that should be on the reference shelf of many statisticians and researchers."
--The American Statistician
" . . . I found this book the most easily readable statistics book ever. The credit for this certainly goes to Phillip Good."
--E-STREAMS
A tried-and-true guide to the proper application of statistics
Now in a second edition, the highly readable Common Errors in Statistics (and How to Avoid Them) lays a mathematically rigorous and readily accessible foundation for understanding statistical procedures, problems, and solutions. This handy field guide analyzes common mistakes, debunks popular myths, and helps readers to choose the best and most effective statistical technique for each of their tasks.
Written for both the newly minted academic and the professional who uses statistics in their work, the book covers creating a research plan, formulating a hypothesis, specifying sample size, checking assumptions, interpreting p-values and confidence intervals, building a model, data mining, Bayes' Theorem, the bootstrap, and many other topics. The Second Edition has been extensively revised to include:
* Additional charts and graphs
* Two new chapters, Interpreting Reports and Which Regression Method?
* New sections on practical versus statistical significance and nonuniqueness in multivariate regression
* Added material from the authors' online courses at statistics.com
* New material on unbalanced designs, report interpretation, and alternative modeling methods
With a final emphasis on both finding solutions and the great value of statistics when applied in the proper context, this book is eminently useful to students and professionals in the fields of research, industry, medicine, and government.
Customer Reviews:
Should be required reading.......2007-02-08
It is very common, and even necessary, to make mistakes while performing modeling or statistical studies. Some of these are easily corrected when one has the knowledge or expertise to understand that a mistake has been made. These could be designated as "blunders" and are part of the everyday life of a statistician or modeler. Other mistakes though are more serious, in that the investigator fails to recognize them and believes that the techniques used are valid for the problem that is studied. In addition, one can frequently fall into the trap of believing that mathematical or computational techniques or algorithms, whether done by hand or with the use of software, are always reliable and therefore require no independent checks or scrutiny. When statistical studies or modeling is done in an area where there is no danger to human or animal life, errors only have the effect of diminishing the validity of the study (and possibly the career of the investigator). In areas such as medicine and civil engineering however, errors in statistical studies can have serious ramifications for human life and safety, and therefore it is crucial that investigators be aware of how they arise and how to avoid them.
This short book is very valuable in that it discusses many of the errors that can arise in statistical modeling and gives advice on how to avoid them in practice. It should be on the bookshelf of all practitioners, regardless of their accumulated years of experience or level of expertise. Sometimes it is difficult for modelers to admit that they have made mistakes, let alone admit that they need advice for performing tasks they may been doing for years. But it never hurts to acknowledge that certain practices, even if they are carved in stone, may not be applicable to certain situations, and this book gives examples of this that are drawn from real world experiences. The authors are careful not to patronize the reader, but they do not hesitate to point out some of the misadventures that have occurred in statistical modeling. Throughout the book they caution against a religious attitude about computer software and mathematical formalism, and give explicit examples of how unquestioned use of these can result in serious errors. This goes hand in hand with their belief, usually only implicitly expressed in the book, that time constraints (such as emergencies) and deadlines may restrict an optimal statistical analysis from being conducted, but that any analysis done using improper tools should not be christened as such by the statistician community. The length of the book of course prohibits an exhaustive analysis of statistical studies that have gone awry but the authors include references for the curious reader.
Many errors are common.......2007-01-05
I have not seen the first edition. I have received from Amazon the 2nd edition. The authors are salient to errors in statistics but not the material in their own book. For example, Good 2005 is cited on p42 but does not appear in the References. Similarly Wald 1980 on p82. On p144 Hardin and Hilbe 2002 is cited but the only reference is Hardin and Hilbe 2003. On the other hand the authors have left many older references (eg on surveys, p43) stand without noting the new helpful material.
Instead I highly recommend Abelson (1995): Statistics as Principled Argument.
Excellent Text for Novices and Experts Alike.......2006-09-24
Good:
-This text is written in a friendly, accessible style.
-Issues covered are relevant and solutions offered are practical.
-Frequent reference is made to the technical literatre in support of arguments presented.
-Clear rules are articulated as to when one should consider using certain techniques.
-Material is fairly timely, including coverage of many recent advances in statistics.
Bad:
-By its nature, this book will involve the authors' opinions, with which we may not all agree. On the other hand, this is at least a good place to start the discussion.
-I wish the book were longer, giving the authors' the opportunity to cover more topics.
Book Description
Thus Spake Zarathustra is certainly Nietzsche's most controversial and probably his most important work. The concepts that "God is Dead" and "Eternal Recurrence" with their attendant ramifications are major features of this work. Highly original and inventive, Thus Spake Zarathustra defies simple categorization. Part literature, part philosophy, it parodies both, in its stylistic resemblance to the New Testament and Pre-Socratic Greek writings.
Through a fictionalized version the character Zarathustra, the legendary founder of Zoroasterianism, Nietzsche propounds a new and different version of moral philosophy. During the course of the story presented in this loosely structured narrative, Nietzsche develops and presents a contrary view of mankind: as lying somewhere between the apes and the ultimate Superman, or Ubermensch. Ranging from unsupported assumptions to rigorous argument - from exposition to dialog to poetry - Thus Spake Zarathustra is a surprising, engaging and thought provoking look at the condition of mankind.
Nietzsche himself considered this to be his most important work. His tragic end, in a state of complete mental breakdown, precluded any possibility that it would be superseded and raised a question of the association between madness and genius.
Download Description
I used to have a copy of the Portable Nietzche from Penguin or whoever. Most of part three from Zarathustra was gone, replaced by a repeated big chunk from part II, then went straight to part IV. You won't have that problem.
Customer Reviews:
Too much thee, thou, doeth for my taste.......2007-09-12
Ah, heck. Call me uncouth or whatever, but reading these 150 year old philosophy works can often be taxing on a today-man like myself. Honestly, I wasn't ready for the thee, thou... Anyway, sorry I tarnisheth a worketh such as thiseth. My bad. Otherwise, love Nietzsche so far. I've only read two books of his, and I guess I'm surprised by how far ahead of his time he was on religious matters. Philosophy with a hammer, indeed.
the Realm of Existentialism.......2007-06-18
God is dead?
Do You really care? ...
"But he "had" to die: he saw with eyes that saw everything; he saw man's depths and ultimate grounds, all his concealed disgrace and ugliness. His pity knew no shame: he crawled into my dirtiest nooks. This most curious, over obtrusive, over pitying one had to die. He always saw me: on such a witness I wanted to have revenge or not live myself. The god who saw everything, even man---this god had to die! Man cannot bear it that such a witness should live. Thus spoke the Ugliest man."
After reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra several times, I've decided it is not reviewable and, perhaps, not meant to be reviewed, as it will be something different to each individual mind -- like God, the color blue, or the taste of a fine wine.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is absolutely one of the most informative, easy to read, humorous, internationally-debated, philosophical - theological, psychological writings to date -- and still, not many have a clue as to what Nietzsche has brought to the table, or even why. Indeed, this is better than Da Vinci Code (sorry Mr. Brown). It is a book for None and All, to be sure. I dub Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra the 8th Wonder of the World.
"I walk among this people and keep my eyes open: they do not forgive me that I do not envy their virtues. They bite at me because I say to them: small people need small virtues --- and because I find it hard to accept that small people are needed.
I am like a rooster in a strange yard, where the hens also bite at him; but I am not angry with the hens on that account. I am polite to them as with all small annoyances; to be prickly to what is small strikes me as wisdom for hedgehogs."
Highly Recommended! --Katharena Eiermann, 2007, the Realm of Existentialism -- Presidential Hopeful
Censored Nietzsche.......2007-06-14
Nietzshe's sister, who edited this version, distorted his ideas. Also, the translation is in a quasi-biblical style which may not be suitable for the style of the book.
German Literature at it's Best.......2007-06-14
I don't like Nietzsche. His theories are inhumane, and his insights psychotic. But anyone who reads the man's work knows that even after translation (by the prestigious RJ Hollingdale), Nietzsche's ability to write beautiful prose is an indisputable fact. One must often wonder where his ideas would be today if he had been a mediocre story teller?
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is, in my humble opinion, the place where anyone who wants to read Nietzsche should start. The ideas are deliniated clearly and the fashion in which they are strew is fully comprehendable. Or, if you prefer, try Beyond Good and Evil.
RSM
Radical and Brilliant.......2007-05-31
Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains one of the most powerful and cryptic tomes in the history western thought. Is this a work of philosophy or poetry? Due to the immense power of Nietzsche's writing, it remains highly readable, even for those who are not usually comfortable reading philosophy. In the prologue, Nietzsche describes Zarathustra's isolation in the mountains and his intention to descend so that he can teach mankind. Zarathustra proclaims that God is dead and the overman, the sort of man who has overcome his own nature. Zarathustra proclaims: "The time has come for man to set himself a goal. The time has come for man to plant the seed of his highest hope" (17). Nietzsche is passing his philosophical project onto Zarathustra as an author might pass his personal impressions onto a fictional character. Zarathustra is a new symbol of wisdom in the modern era; he teaches that man is now burdened with the task of creating a meaning for himself. In Zarathustra's speeches, he speaks of the "three metamorphoses of the spirit" (25), which include how the spirit becomes a camel, the camel a lion, and the lion a child. For Nietzsche, even the lion of freedom is not sufficient; the child who can create represents the possibility of an overman. Zarathustra says: "The child is innocence and forgetting, a new beginning, a game, a self-propelled wheel, a first movement, a sacred `Yes.' For the game of creation, my brothers, a sacred `Yes' is needed: the spirit now wills his own will, and he who had been lost to the world now conquers his own world" (27). Zarathustra teaches man that God is the result of an act of creation, that man is capable of willing new gods and goals. He says: "this god whom I created was man-made and madness, like all Gods!" (33). Zarathustra might be called the God of the Body as he claims that it was originally the sick and decaying who hated the body and nature and subsequently created heaven. Zarathustra provides and alternative: "Listen rather, my brothers, to the voice of the healthy body: that is a more honest and purer voice. More honestly and purely speaks the healthy body that is perfect and perpendicular: and it speaks of the meaning of the earth" (33). Zarathustra warns man of the power of `Good and Evil,' of preachers of virtues and the soul. However, for all of man's creative efforts in conjuring systems of value, man still is left without a clear goal. Zarathustra concludes the first book by insisting that he will only return when his listeners have denied him, for he desires to cultivate an independence of thought.
In the second book, Zarathustra returns and begins to speak about creation and pitying. In the second section (Upon the Blessed Isles), he argues that "God is a conjecture; but I desire that your conjectures should not reach beyond your creative will. Could you create a god? Then do not speak to me of any gods. But you could well create the overman [...] of the overman you could recreate yourselves: and let this be your best creation" (86). For Zarathustra, creation is the solution to redeem man from his suffering. Additionally, man's will to power is a potentially liberating capacity. In the fifth section, Zarathustra critically examines different conceptions of traditional virtue. He says: "you are too pure for the filth of the words: revenge, punishment, reward, retribution" (94). After much vivisection and refutation, Zarathustra moves into a discussion of the possible meaning of existence for man in the section On the Tarantulas. Here, he makes a proposal: "For that man be delivered from revenge, that is for me the bridge to the highest hope, and a rainbow after long storms" (99). Zarathustra warns man to mistrust all who have a powerful inclination to seek revenge and enact punishment.In book three, Zarathustra continues his prophetic teachings to mankind, though he insists that he is "Godless" (170). He reflects about the absence of having a true audience; one gets the impression that Zarathustra is echoing Nietzsche's loneliness as a largely unrecognized philosopher and writer. He continues with a transvaluation of all values wherein Zarathustra declares the `three best cursed things,' which are: "sex, the lust to rule, [and] selfishness" (188). He condemns Christianity's disapproval of these things, arguing that sex represents a happiness of the body, the lust to rule is a variant of the will to power, and selfishness is a mode of self enjoyment. Zarathustra is concerned that the dominant institutions of our time have conditioned human beings to hate and fear themselves. Additionally, he teaches man about man's ultimate purpose, which he describes in the third section of `The Old and New Tablets,' where he writes: "There it was too that I picked up the word `overman' by the way, and that man is something that must be overcome-that man is a bridge and no end" (198). For Zarathustra, a going under is a crossing over, a transition. In this way, mankind is taught to confront his own mortality.
In `The Convalescent,' Zarathustra rests for seven days after a collapse in his cave. He is upset with the animals for watching him in pain, for pain and cruelty (whether it is directed inward or outward) is the greatest flaw of man. It is here that Zarathustra gives his most profound teaching: "Alas, man recurs eternally! The small man recurs eternally!' Zarathustra has established his reason for being: to teach the eternal recurrence of the same. All events and beings of the universe have existed an infinite number of times and will continue to repeat eternally. Zarathustra claims: "I myself belong to the causes of the eternal recurrence. I come again, with this sun, with this earth, with this eagle, with this serpent-not to a new life or a better life or a similar life: I come back eternally to this same, selfsame life, in what is greatest as in what is smallest, to teach again the eternal recurrence of all the things" (221). It is because of the eternal recurrence of the same that mankind should affirm life and will subsequently overcome nihilism. Zarathustra expresses a desire that mankind embrace himself as such, and to be willing to act as a bridge for something greater. He declares: "You are mere bridges: may men higher than you stride over you. You signify steps: therefore do not be angry with him who climbs over you to his height" (283). According to Zarathustra, it is only since God has died that mankind can be resurrected. In `On the Higher Man,' Zarathustra announces the life of the overman, an indication of a higher being able to climb over man. Zarathustra announces: "O my brothers, what I can love in man is that he is an overture and a going under [...] Overcome these masters of today, O my brothers-these small people, they are the overman's greatest danger" (287). Human beings must, in accordance with their nature, be willing to go down in order to go across. They are the bridge to something higher. The thought of eternal return contains many facets and implications. One the one hand, the notion of eternity without the trajectory of a goal and without a definitive close could be viewed as the essence of nihilism or pessimism. However, this is not a complete thought of eternal recurrence. Yet if the thinker understands the relation between nihilism and the eternal recurrence of the same, he can fully affirm life.
Book Description
From Lark Books and Natural Home magazine—which has a circulation of 200,000—comes an illustrated, unique guide to building an earth-friendly home.
To create a dwelling that’s both ecologically sustainable and attractive, Natural Home magazine is the place to go. With this exquisitely illustrated guide, packed with 400 photos and illustrations, anyone can put environmentally friendly ideas into beautiful practice. Here’s an intelligent look at how a home is supposed to function and a variety of different building approaches. What’s important is finding the right solution to fit your individual needs, local climate, and natural resources. The broad range of topics covered include choosing a site; selecting materials; building with straw bale, cob, adobe, or rammed earth; and plugging into alternative home power systems. Interviews with six homeowners, and photos of the dream homes they built, provide invaluable insight.
Customer Reviews:
Informative.......2006-04-30
This is a great book to introduce the topic of building strawbale, cob etc. homes. The wonderful point about it is that it details the pros and cons of each building style and lets you compare each method carefully so that you are able to next select a more detailed book about a particular style.
It has beautiful colour photos and lots of information. Highly recommended.
Good Book about Good Houses.......2005-12-22
Isn't it nice to dream of being able to build your own home...especially an environmentally "friendly" one!? I am learning so much about houses in general from this book, let alone alternative building. It is well written and has beautiful photography. My husband & I may never get to build our own home (or we may!) but we can sure enjoy the dream in more vivid detail because of this book. I think it should be required reading for politicians, city planners & the like!
Among the best of books.......2005-11-21
Superlative well-balanced, insightful, entertaining, stimulative text, superlative graphics/layout with an abundant and marvelous and beautiful and very effective array of color photographs, superlative resource section, superlative physical book quality including stay-open binding.
If you're thinking of building a house or if you're interested in alternative housing possibilities (solar, etc.) or if you're interested in the topic of housing in general or if you'd like an ideal coffee table book, you will probably find this book a delightful fulfillment.
(Thank you, Amazon, including reviewers, for helping me to discover this book.)
Tremendous book .......2005-05-19
Very comprehensive book which expertly and clearly details the differences between natural/sustainable methods and ideas versus conventional methods. The book makes an incredible cases for natural building and the philosophy of sustainability. After reading this book its hard to understand why you wouldn't want to build a house this way. On a personal note, this book has been inspirational to me as an undergrad student trying to get into an architecture school and train to be a sustainable architect. Also I'm coming from a traditional carpentry background and know that the things Clarke Snell is writing about are right on the money.
Likeable, Readable and Profound.......2004-06-08
Okay - so I've never thought about the actual mechanics of building a house nor about the choices that allow us to enjoy the beauty of the planet without doing it harm. My concerns have usually been of the strict ly visual - I am an artist . This book is almost startlingly good - Clarke Snell has managed to stimulate even the most laissez-faire amongst us to pay attention to laws respect ing our environment and combine them with our desires for beauty and comfort not only for the past but indeed for the future.
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