Cass R. Sunstein

I found the first 200 pages of this book to be almost impenetrable and frequently forgot a sentence shortly after reading it.

That said, the book and its import improve.

If you’ve read Kahneman’s earlier work, Thinking Fast and Slow, you’ll be familiar with the use of a core metaphor to the argument. While the book says it’s about “Noise” it’s really about the statistical sources of bad judgments.

Noise is the shorthand systems engineers use to explain flaws in the system.

Kahneman et al want us to take a systems view of bad judgments, and bad judges. There is hope for them yet.

Forestalling judgment until the evidence is collected, breaking down complex judgments to their constituent parts, employing baseline comparisons, and employing objective referees will all yield better judgments in business, in law and medicine, and in life.

I certainly hope so. I have trouble just dealing with the volume of judgments I am called upon to make everyday in business.

There is a lot here to think about, especially about the people who are the experts we rely upon, and how they frequently get important things wrong.… (mer)