Author David Freedman takes on the experts, and how they mislead us, if we let them. This original and common-sense critique of expert opinion traces how it gains credibility within a particular field, often spilling over to a much larger audience. It scrutinizes the many ways advice may take a wrong turn, even when it comes from one of the greats. The book is well researched with examples from medicine, science, business,...
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With insight and inventiveness, David H. Freedman synthesizes the latest research on not just why but how experts fail us. We live in a time of the search for the quick fix; Freedman gives the lie to the very concept and shows us how to get inside the studies and reports we rely on to actually benefit our lives. A must-read for every thinking person.
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This book confirms what I have suspected for a time--that many if not most studies have a conscious or unconscious bias. While I do not disregard all studies, I ask myself "who is conducting the study" and "how large is it."
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There's a great routine which once appeared on the old Laugh In show where an interviewer asked Goldie Hawn how she felt about being so dumb. Not bad, she said, because it's the "smart" people who are always giving us the wrongheaded advice that gets us into real trouble. Who's responsible for the state of the economy? The "smart" people. Who's responsible for when we've gone to war? The "smart" people. Yep, the "smart"...
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Like a lot of people, I listen hard to what my doctor says, swallow whole the advice of a lawyer when I seek it, etc... Freedman's book is a wakeup call for me and the many people who tend to equate narrow expertise with reliable, and especially, knowledgeable advice. Oil industry engineers are only the latest experts to give us a false sense of security; who's next? This book offers great insights into the industry of...
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