Publishers Weekly
★ 06/27/2022
Many “big decisions can’t be made with data, or science, or the usual rational approaches,” contends Roberts (How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life), president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, in this lucid treatise. Wild problems, according to the author, are the major life decisions—such as choosing a career path and deciding how to devote one’s time—that resist rational analysis and call for alternative modes of evaluation. Roberts tells of how Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, and Johannes Kepler attempted to quantify such decisions as whether and whom to marry using balance sheets of pros and cons, which the author suggests are ineffective because of their reliance on subjective judgments (Is each pro equal to each con? How does one decide?). He is equally critical of optimization, arguing that imperfectly reducing a matrix of considerations to a single measurement by which to judge which option is “best” obscures the complexity of choosing a partner or where to go to college. Instead, Roberts recommends that readers “privilege your principles” and base one’s choices on “what kind of person you want to be and who you might want to become.” Roberts’s thought-provoking take on the limits of data and the overquantification of contemporary life provides a bold and original perspective on how humans can make better decisions. Daniel Kahneman’s fans will find much to ponder. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
This excellent book won’t make your decisions for you. Instead, it will do something more powerful: help you think about your most important decisions in a completely new light.”
—EMILY OSTER, author of Expecting Better
“Wild Problems is a powerful guide to a more meaningful life.”
—DAVID EPSTEIN, author of Range
“I’ve learned more about economics and economic reasoning from Russ Roberts than from all other sources combined. I am delighted to find out in this book that Roberts is also a source about the limits of economic reasoning when it comes to existential decisions.”
—NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, author of The Black Swan
“An interesting and useful book. The ‘wild problems’ it explains how to solve include the biggest ones you’ll face in your life.”
—PAUL GRAHAM, founder of Y Combinator
“A beautiful meditation on big life choices, gently reminding us of the limits of narrow cost-benefit reasoning and presenting an alternative approach to human flourishing.”
—ANGELA DUCKWORTH, author of Grit
“Roberts’s thought-provoking take on the limits of data and the overquantification of contemporary life provides a bold and original perspective on how humans can make better decisions. Daniel Kahneman’s fans will find much to ponder.”
—PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
June 2023 - AudioFile
Mark Deakins delivers strategies for addressing life's wild problems in a steady, authoritative voice. Listeners will explore what differentiates a wild problem from one easily addressed by traditional rational decision making. Economist Russ Roberts, a Stanford University professor and host of the podcast "EconTalk," delves into life's intricate issues, comparing contemporary challenges to those of historical figures who made major cultural contributions, such as Darwin. Deakins patiently presents decision-making tables, effectively keeping listeners engaged throughout the diverse range of topics covered in this brief listen. Additionally, Deakins does justice to Roberts's concluding poem, which summarizes his advice on how to flourish on life's journey. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
