Author: Rolf Dobelli File Type: epub Have you ever . . .ul lInvested time in something that, in hindsight, just wasnt worth it?l lPaid too much in an eBay auction?l lContinued to do something you knew was bad for you?l lSold stocks too late, or too early?l lTaken credit for success, but blamed failure on external circumstances?l lBacked the wrong horse?l ulThese are examples of what the author calls cognitive biases, simple errors all of us make in day-to-day thinking. But by knowing what they are and how to identify them, we can avoid them and make better choices whether in dealing with personal problems or business negotiations, trying to save money or earn profits, or merely working out what we really want in lifeand strategizing the best way to get it.Already an international bestseller, The Art of Thinking Clearly distills cutting-edge research from behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience into a clever, practical guide for anyone whos ever wanted to be wiser and make better decisions. A novelist, thinker, and entrepreneur, Rolf Dobelli deftly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we dont need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic hyperactivityall we need is less irrationality.Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision makingat work, at home, every day. From why you shouldnt accept a free drink to why you should walk out of a movie you dont like, from why its so hard to predict the future to why you shouldnt watch the news, The Art of Thinking Clearly helps solve the puzzle of human reasoning.**From BooklistStarred Review Why do we stay in bad relationships or stubbornly hold on to failing investments? Dobelli, author and founder of Zurich.Minds, a community of thinkers, explores the natural tendencies we have to think illogically and how we can overcome them. This is not a facile how-to book but a serious examination of the faulty reasoning that leads to repeated mistakes by individuals, businesses, and nations. Among the logical errors Dobelli explores are survivorship bias, or systematic overestimation of the chances for success, and social proof (otherwise known as herd mentality), or feeling that an action or decision is correct because so many others are doing the same thing. Herd mentality is often demonstrated in the stock market, triggering bubbles and panics alike. Dobelli warns against the influence of so-called experts, news anchors, beautiful people, teams of workers, and others, cautioning readers to learn to think clearly for themselves. He offers some 99 common errors, drawing on social science, psychology, economics, and politics for amusing and sobering examples of the failure to think logically. In this fascinating book, Dobelli does not offer a recipe for happiness but a well-considered treatise on avoiding self-induced unhappiness. --Vanessa Bush ReviewA fireworks show of insights into how our minds work. If you want to avoid tripping on cognitive errors, read this book. (Iris Bohnet, Professor and Academic Dean, Harvard Kennedy School, Director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory) Dobelli examines our most common decision-making failings with engaging eloquence and describes how to counter them with instructive good sense. (Robert Cialdini, author of Influence) a serious examination of the faulty reasoning that leads to repeated mistakes by individuals, businesses, and nationsIn this fascinating book, Dobelli does not offer a recipe for happiness but a well-considered treatise on avoiding self-induced unhappiness. (Booklist (starred review)) easy-going prosewhat [Dobelli] does is pinpoint exactly the assumptions, bias and illusions that shape our thinking and decision-making processes in both business and personal relationships that can cost us dearly as individuals and as a society. (Financial Times)

Author: Michael Perelman File Type: pdf As socialist states struggle to transform themselves into market economies and the United States privatizes everything from schooling to policing, the current crises in Russia and East Asia suggest that something might be amiss. In the rush to open societies to the benefits of competition, economists have overlooked the fundamental instability of competitive markets. What had seemed to be an invincible capitalist juggernaut may be reaching its apotheosis. A close look at market economies is more timely and crucial than ever. Michael Perelman argues that capitalisms victory is temporary, based as it is on an unrealistic understanding of the systems inherent risks. He analyzes the nature and causes of crisis within a market society, and along the way, he re-examines one of capitalisms most primary and unquestioned tenets, that the more competition there is, the better off society will be.ReviewHis message is an important and well-reasoned one...a book that deserves a wide audience. --Review of Political Economy About the AuthorMichael Perelman is Professor of Economics at California State University, Chico.