Overview

The bestselling history of and investigation into human error by beloved New Yorker writer Kathryn Schulz ""Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise about a topic so central to our lives that we almost never even think about it."" --Bill McKibben, author of Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet In the tradition of The Wisdom of Crowds and Predictably Irrational, Being Wrong explores what it means to be in error, and why homo sapiens tend to tacitly assume (or loudly insist) that they are right about most everything. Kathryn Schulz argues that error is the fundamental human condition and should be celebrated as such. Guiding the reader through the history and psychology of error, from Socrates to Alan Greenspan, Being Wrong will change the way you perceive screw-ups, both of the mammoth and daily variety, forever.

Full Product Details

9780061176050

Table of Contents

Reviews

Intellectualism made fun! . . . Schulz's call to embrace flaws and errors as potentially beneficial will surely draw legions of follwers. --Newsweek Schulz draws on philosophers, neuroscientists, psychoanalysts and bit of common sense in an erudite, playful rumination on error. --Washington Post A mirthful and wise diagnosis of what ails us: Schulz dances us through science, psychology, and literature in a sparkling history of (and ode to) human error. --Publishers Weekly So, please take this advice: Read BEING WRONG, because it's the right thing to do. --Associated Press [A]n unusual examination of the virtue and peril of being wrong and of all the ways we think we know things that just ain't so. --Boston Globe Kathryn Schulz's brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of TRAFFIC Kathryn Schulz has given us a brilliant and remarkably upbeat account of the long history of human error. If Being Wrong is this smart and illuminating, I don't want to be right! --Steven Johnson, bestselling author of THE GHOST MAP and EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU Kathryn Schultz is engaging, witty and fascinating as she uses a full arsenal of academic research, colorful stories, philosophical arguments and personal anecdotes to create a riveting account of why we, mostly, have been wrong about being wrong. --Frans Johansson, author of THE MEDICI EFFECT Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise...[BEING WRONG] could also be enormously useful--there are very few problems we face...that couldn't be helpfully addressed if we we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right. --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet A funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. [Schulz] flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails....It's lovely to watch this idea warm in Ms. Schulz's hands. --Dwight Garner, New York Times A mirthful and wise diagnosis of what ails us: Schulz dances us through science, psychology, and literature in a sparkling history of (and ode to) human error. --Publishers Weekly [A]n insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways. . . . Schulz remains good company -- a warm, witty and welcome presence. . . . [S]he combines lucid prose with perfect comic timing. . . . Being Wrong is smart and lively. --New York Times Book Review So, please take this advice: Read BEING WRONG, because it s the right thing to do. --Associated Press Kathryn Schulz s brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of TRAFFIC [A]n unusual examination of the virtue and peril of being wrong and of all the ways we think we know things that just ain t so. --Boston Globe Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Kathryn Schulz has given us a brilliant and remarkably upbeat account of the long history of human error. If Being Wrong is this smart and illuminating, I don t want to be right! --Steven Johnson, bestselling author of THE GHOST MAP and EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU Kathryn Schultz is engaging, witty and fascinating as she uses a full arsenal of academic research, colorful stories, philosophical arguments and personal anecdotes to create a riveting account of why we, mostly, have been wrong about being wrong. --Frans Johansson, author of THE MEDICI EFFECT A funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. [Schulz] flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails....It s lovely to watch this idea warm in Ms. Schulz s hands. --Dwight Garner, New York Times Schulz possesses playfulness even as she brings the reader to tears... Being Wrong has a heartbeat. --Huffington Post Intellectualism made fun! . . . Schulz s call to embrace flaws and errors as potentially beneficial will surely draw legions of follwers. --Newsweek Schulz draws on philosophers, neuroscientists, psychoanalysts and bit of common sense in an erudite, playful rumination on error. --Washington Post An amazing book. . . . I don t know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise...[BEING WRONG] could also be enormously useful there are very few problems we face...that couldn t be helpfully addressed if we we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right. --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) An amazing book. . . . I don't know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Schulz possesses playfulness even as she brings the reader to tears... Being Wrong has a heartbeat. --Huffington Post [A]n insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways. . . . Schulz remains good company -- a warm, witty and welcome presence. . . . [S]he combines lucid prose with perfect comic timing. . . . Being Wrong is smart and lively. --New York Times Book Review

Intellectualism made fun! . . . Schulz's call to embrace flaws and errors as potentially beneficial will surely draw legions of follwers. --Newsweek Schulz draws on philosophers, neuroscientists, psychoanalysts and bit of common sense in an erudite, playful rumination on error. --Washington Post A mirthful and wise diagnosis of what ails us: Schulz dances us through science, psychology, and literature in a sparkling history of (and ode to) human error. --Publishers Weekly [A]n unusual examination of the virtue and peril of being wrong and of all the ways we think we know things that just ain't so. --Boston Globe Kathryn Schulz's brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of TRAFFIC Kathryn Schulz has given us a brilliant and remarkably upbeat account of the long history of human error. If Being Wrong is this smart and illuminating, I don't want to be right! --Steven Johnson, bestselling author of THE GHOST MAP and EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU Kathryn Schultz is engaging, witty and fascinating as she uses a full arsenal of academic research, colorful stories, philosophical arguments and personal anecdotes to create a riveting account of why we, mostly, have been wrong about being wrong. --Frans Johansson, author of THE MEDICI EFFECT Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise...[BEING WRONG] could also be enormously useful--there are very few problems we face...that couldn't be helpfully addressed if we we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right. --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet A funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. [Schulz] flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails....It's lovely to watch this idea warm in Ms. Schulz's hands. --Dwight Garner, New York Times So, please take this advice: Read BEING WRONG, because it's the right thing to do. --Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) An amazing book. . . . I don't know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Schulz possesses playfulness even as she brings the reader to tears... Being Wrong has a heartbeat. --Huffington Post [A]n insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways. . . . Schulz remains good company -- a warm, witty and welcome presence. . . . [S]he combines lucid prose with perfect comic timing. . . . Being Wrong is smart and lively. --New York Times Book Review

Intellectualism made fun! . . . Schulz's call to embrace flaws and errors as potentially beneficial will surely draw legions of follwers. --Newsweek Schulz draws on philosophers, neuroscientists, psychoanalysts and bit of common sense in an erudite, playful rumination on error. --Washington Post A mirthful and wise diagnosis of what ails us: Schulz dances us through science, psychology, and literature in a sparkling history of (and ode to) human error. --Publishers Weekly [A]n unusual examination of the virtue and peril of being wrong and of all the ways we think we know things that just ain't so. --Boston Globe Kathryn Schulz has given us a brilliant and remarkably upbeat account of the long history of human error. If Being Wrong is this smart and illuminating, I don't want to be right! --Steven Johnson, bestselling author of THE GHOST MAP and EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU Kathryn Schultz is engaging, witty and fascinating as she uses a full arsenal of academic research, colorful stories, philosophical arguments and personal anecdotes to create a riveting account of why we, mostly, have been wrong about being wrong. --Frans Johansson, author of THE MEDICI EFFECT Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise...[BEING WRONG] could also be enormously useful--there are very few problems we face...that couldn't be helpfully addressed if we we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right. --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Kathryn Schulz's brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of TRAFFIC A funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. [Schulz] flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails....It's lovely to watch this idea warm in Ms. Schulz's hands. --Dwight Garner, New York Times So, please take this advice: Read BEING WRONG, because it's the right thing to do. --Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) An amazing book. . . . I don't know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People [A]n insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways. . . . Schulz remains good company -- a warm, witty and welcome presence. . . . [S]he combines lucid prose with perfect comic timing. . . . Being Wrong is smart and lively. --New York Times Book Review Schulz possesses playfulness even as she brings the reader to tears... Being Wrong has a heartbeat. --Huffington Post

Schulz possesses playfulness even as she brings the reader to tears... Being Wrong has a heartbeat. --Huffington Post

A funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. [Schulz] flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails....It's lovely to watch this idea warm in Ms. Schulz's hands. --Dwight Garner, New York Times Both wise and clever, full of fun and surprise...[BEING WRONG] could also be enormously useful--there are very few problems we face...that couldn't be helpfully addressed if we we were willing to at least entertain the idea that we might not be entirely right. --Bill McKibben, author of EAARTH: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Kathryn Schultz is engaging, witty and fascinating as she uses a full arsenal of academic research, colorful stories, philosophical arguments and personal anecdotes to create a riveting account of why we, mostly, have been wrong about being wrong. --Frans Johansson, author of THE MEDICI EFFECT Kathryn Schulz has given us a brilliant and remarkably upbeat account of the long history of human error. If Being Wrong is this smart and illuminating, I don't want to be right! --Steven Johnson, bestselling author of THE GHOST MAP and EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU Kathryn Schulz's brilliant, spirited, and necessary inquiry into the essential humanity of error will leave you feeling intoxicatingly wrongheaded. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of TRAFFIC Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) [A]n unusual examination of the virtue and peril of being wrong and of all the ways we think we know things that just ain't so. --Boston Globe A mirthful and wise diagnosis of what ails us: Schulz dances us through science, psychology, and literature in a sparkling history of (and ode to) human error. --Publishers Weekly [A]n insightful and delightful discussion of the errors of our ways. . . . Schulz remains good company -- a warm, witty and welcome presence. . . . [S]he combines lucid prose with perfect comic timing. . . . Being Wrong is smart and lively. --New York Times Book Review So, please take this advice: Read BEING WRONG, because it's the right thing to do. --Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

An amazing book. . . . I don't know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of <i>When Bad Things Happen to Good People</i>

An amazing book. . . . I don t know when I last read a book as stimulating, as thoughtful, and as much fun to read. --Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Author Information

Kathryn Schulz is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Foreign Policy, the Nation, the Boston Globe, and the ""Freakonomics"" blog of the New York Times. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

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