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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.
mcmoots's review
3.0
Being Wrong touches on epistemology, the psychology and neurobiology of belief, and the social and emotional experiences of making mistakes. Schulz says in the beginning that she was not writing a self-help manual, but the more self-help-y sections on feelings and culture were by far the best parts of the book. No matter your taste in philosophy or neurobiology you can probably find a better discussion of those topics elsewhere, but if you want a book that will gently help you reconceptualize your own experiences with error, this is excellent.
Schulz's writing is casual and full of little digressions. I found most of them amusing, YMMV.
Schulz's writing is casual and full of little digressions. I found most of them amusing, YMMV.
jwkosek's review
3.0
Mostly ok. There are some things I think I don't necessarily agree with.
It was quite entertaining and I must say that I loved being able to use my philosophy degree at least to the extent that I knew what philosophies were being discussed and how what she was saying fit into each philosopher's world view.
It was quite entertaining and I must say that I loved being able to use my philosophy degree at least to the extent that I knew what philosophies were being discussed and how what she was saying fit into each philosopher's world view.
sethdmichaels's review
5.0
This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. Great writing, full of challenging and interesting ideas. At first glance it's a Gladwell-ish piece of pop psychology, but it's fun and free-wheeling, not too self-serious. It looks at the emotional and psychological experience of being wrong - everything from eyewitness testimony to religious conversion to romantic breakups - and argues that we try too hard not to be wrong, rather than accepting it as inevitable and a part of growth.
robinlm's review
4.0
It took me several years to finish this book--mostly because with this book, as with other books, there is a right time to read them. Right now, the content of this book is so relevant to current events and other things I've been learning about that I was finally motivated to finish it.
While it's slow going in places and fairly philosophical (translation: sometimes over my head), there is a treasure trove of good information in here and I'm glad I persevered and finished it.
While it's slow going in places and fairly philosophical (translation: sometimes over my head), there is a treasure trove of good information in here and I'm glad I persevered and finished it.
spygrl1's review
3.0
I've enjoyed Schulz's blog about wrongness at Slate, and I suppose I expected the book to be quite similar--anecdotes about being wrong, how it feels, what we can learn from it, and how we can limit it. Instead, the book is really a philosophical treatise about the nature of wrongness and its fundamental role in the experience of being human. Not what I expected, but fascinating and well argued.
thomassmith's review
5.0
Sometime you read a book at the exact right time in your life. I couldn't have picked a better time to read this one. One of the best books I've read this year.