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mikeblyth's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've read in years. Highly recommended. Not a self-help book nor an oversimplified psychological model, but a thoughtful and complex overview of what it means to be wrong, how we discern what is true or false, why we are put off by error, how errors and being wrong are intrinsically part of our specialness as humans, why people so seldom change their important beliefs, and so on.
sarahheidmann's review
4.0
“Even if you can’t be brought to believe that error itself is a good thing, I hope to convince you by the end of this book that it is inseparably linked to other good things, things we definitely do not want to illuminate – like, say, our intelligence.” Making a mistake might not feel good, but error is akin in spirit to hope. When viewed with a positive attitude, error represents a false view of reality, and therefore opportunity for growth and improvement. “To fuck up is to find adventure: it is in that spirit that this book is written.”
Why is it that we have so much trouble accepting our own fallibility? This book explores that theme and more in finer detail than you’d ever think would be interesting. There are so many aspects of our lives in which we are wrong, and yet we can’t seem to understand that to err is human, let alone accept it. This aptly-named book teaches us not how to avoid making mistakes but how to keep an open mind and embrace our imperfections.
Why is it that we have so much trouble accepting our own fallibility? This book explores that theme and more in finer detail than you’d ever think would be interesting. There are so many aspects of our lives in which we are wrong, and yet we can’t seem to understand that to err is human, let alone accept it. This aptly-named book teaches us not how to avoid making mistakes but how to keep an open mind and embrace our imperfections.
sbletham's review against another edition
4.0
I would recommend this book for anybody who wants a broad and thorough introduction to the study of human error that crosses fields of study (psychology, philosophy etc).
While I do not necessarily agree with all of the conclusions the author draws about error, I wholeheartedly endorse her conclusion that we must first accept the inevitability of errors if we are to do anything about them. I study and work in a field whose premise is exactly that (Human Factors), which is why I picked up Being Wrong in the first place.
For those more experienced in the field of human error, you may find this work amusing or interesting, and possibly benefit from its organization and synthesis of ideas. But it probably won't teach you anything you don't know about the psychology of error, denial, bias, etc.
While I do not necessarily agree with all of the conclusions the author draws about error, I wholeheartedly endorse her conclusion that we must first accept the inevitability of errors if we are to do anything about them. I study and work in a field whose premise is exactly that (Human Factors), which is why I picked up Being Wrong in the first place.
For those more experienced in the field of human error, you may find this work amusing or interesting, and possibly benefit from its organization and synthesis of ideas. But it probably won't teach you anything you don't know about the psychology of error, denial, bias, etc.
3njennn's review
4.0
This is a very good read that raises a lot of interesting points even if it has some major issues. The primary problem with this book is the author's claim that everything we think we know today is just waiting to be disproved tomorrow. That seems a dangerous proposition that can only lead to everyone choosing to believe whatever they prefer with no objective scientific perspective to judge the merits of different views. If we don't think there are currently any scientific facts, then what is the point of seeking knowledge? Even the author's claim that everything is subject to being disproven is itself subject to this rule. At that point can truth exist?
I kept waiting for her to address this problem with her argument but she never did. Still, I enjoyed the philosophical and informative journey of reading this book.
I kept waiting for her to address this problem with her argument but she never did. Still, I enjoyed the philosophical and informative journey of reading this book.
christinalepre's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't finish this. I read more than halfway through, but I couldn't see the point in continuing on when I wasn't enjoying the book anymore or getting much from it. The premise of the book is interesting, but it's too long and there's far too much philosophizing here.
I would have loved to have had this as a reference for the senior seminar I took in college on 'Media and Belief.' A lot of the discussion on belief and belief communities was intriguing to me, since I wrote a paper on belief communities for that course. That said, I'm not sure who the market is intended to be; this won't work as a popular science book (which is what I thought it was), but it's a little informal for an academic text. Nonetheless, the book has value, it just didn't appeal to me as I thought it would.
Update: Just discovered the author's blog on Slate in which she interviews very interesting people about wrongness, which I found delightful and engaging: http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/thewrongstuff/default.aspx
I would have loved to have had this as a reference for the senior seminar I took in college on 'Media and Belief.' A lot of the discussion on belief and belief communities was intriguing to me, since I wrote a paper on belief communities for that course. That said, I'm not sure who the market is intended to be; this won't work as a popular science book (which is what I thought it was), but it's a little informal for an academic text. Nonetheless, the book has value, it just didn't appeal to me as I thought it would.
Update: Just discovered the author's blog on Slate in which she interviews very interesting people about wrongness, which I found delightful and engaging: http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/thewrongstuff/default.aspx
venarain's review
3.0
To be fair, I didn't get very far. I liked the premise and the introduction was clever, but there just wasn't enough to justify a book. Could have made a great, punchy article.
jnlecu's review
2.0
I won this book from goodreads and was excited to read it. I struggled through the first 100 pages and almost decided to not finish. However, since this book was a gift I felt obligated to read the entire book. I'm glad it's over. It was like another psych class - I took 12 of them in college. Much of the content was indeed interesting, but like any other text I've been forced to read, it was tedious. That being said, I did enjoy a lot of the history and the footnotes.
I think we all know people that would benefit from reading Being Wrong. It could give some perspective to the know-it-alls around us.
I think we all know people that would benefit from reading Being Wrong. It could give some perspective to the know-it-alls around us.
bluepigeon's review
4.0
Error. What a great subject. Daunting as well. Schultz does a good job of covering some major ground in the history, philosophy, psychology, and science of error. Her language and writing style is fluid and engaging, her choice of quotes and anecdotal evidence often spot on. She argues, throughout the book, that error is an integral part of our intelligence, our progress, and a reminder of just how alone we are in the world.
Reading Being Wrong, I certainly understood better why I hate being wrong, why I love to say "I told you so." and most importantly, I realized what triggers my "I told you so" response most in other people: their lack of acknowledgement of an error. And then I realized that, probably, other people have the same reaction to my stubborn refusal to admit my own mistakes. Will I change and be more, uhm, humble? I don't know. I often think we can never change much, maybe just a tiny bit. Time will tell.
Reading Being Wrong, I certainly understood better why I hate being wrong, why I love to say "I told you so." and most importantly, I realized what triggers my "I told you so" response most in other people: their lack of acknowledgement of an error. And then I realized that, probably, other people have the same reaction to my stubborn refusal to admit my own mistakes. Will I change and be more, uhm, humble? I don't know. I often think we can never change much, maybe just a tiny bit. Time will tell.