Everything is obvious
- Atlantic Books, 2011
- xvi + 333 p. ; 24 cm
how common sense fails
The myth of common sense Thinking about thinking-- The wisdom (and madness) of crowds-- Special people-- History, the fickle teacher-- The dream of prediction-- The best laid plans-- The measure of all things-- Fairness and justice-- The proper study of mankind.--
Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why did Facebook succeed when other social networking sites failed? Did the surge in Iraq really lead to less violence? And does higher pay incentivize people to work harder? If you think the answers to these questions are a matter of common sense, think again. As sociologist and network science pioneer Duncan Watts explains in this provocative book, the explanations that we give for the outcomes that we observe in life-explanations that seem obvious once we know the answer-are less useful than they seem. Watts shows how commonsense. ; ; Discusses how the concept of common sense is inadequate in an increasingly complex world and draws on multiple disciplines to offer insight into the sources of such topics as popularity, economics, and self-deception. ;