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mchester24's review against another edition
4.0
Like many other people, I was eager to read this book once it was placed on the books of the year put out by Bill Gates. I've also recently been reading a number of books that try to outline the importance of mathematics and statistics in our everyday life-- and more importantly, how everybody should approach these everyday instances of math with a critical and well-informed perspective. I'll say I agree with Mr. Gates that this book did an incredible job of this, highlighting the same type of categories (political polls, medical trials, social science research, etc.) that other books in this field have tackled. What I think this book did better than some of the others was go even deeper into the math, to the point where half a chapter would go by simply discussing number theory and concepts dissected by college math majors in their coursework (I only recognized this as some of the concepts were the ones I'd hear my college roommate bring up). This type of background provided the reader a more profound understanding of the topics that were pertinent to daily life once those deeper mathematical concepts clicked.
Don't let the math-heavy description scare you off, though, if you've been one to avoid math classes! Beyond the math lessons were the pieces of wisdom suggested by the book's title 'How to Not Be Wrong.' For example, one passage that stuck with me was discussing the concept that smart and informed people will think of each of their beliefs that they are correct, but will be wise enough to know some of their beliefs will be wrong. This lesson was supplemented with how some of the great thinkers in history have continually worked to disprove their own beliefs and how that creates the most profound breakthroughs. Further, I found myself lucky to have read this over the course of the recent Presidential election where so many pollsters are being accused of being 'wrong' and this book giving me some perspective of what may have happened. Nate Silver saying Trump has a 30% chance to win does NOT mean a Trump victory proves Nate wrong-- rather Nate was given in this book as an example of someone who understands statistics and uncertainty enough to recognize the expectation he will be wrong some of the time.
The closing sentiment warmed me as well-- essentially, the question isn't when will you use math in your real life. You have used math every day of your life since you were born, the key is ensuring you are using it well.
Don't let the math-heavy description scare you off, though, if you've been one to avoid math classes! Beyond the math lessons were the pieces of wisdom suggested by the book's title 'How to Not Be Wrong.' For example, one passage that stuck with me was discussing the concept that smart and informed people will think of each of their beliefs that they are correct, but will be wise enough to know some of their beliefs will be wrong. This lesson was supplemented with how some of the great thinkers in history have continually worked to disprove their own beliefs and how that creates the most profound breakthroughs. Further, I found myself lucky to have read this over the course of the recent Presidential election where so many pollsters are being accused of being 'wrong' and this book giving me some perspective of what may have happened. Nate Silver saying Trump has a 30% chance to win does NOT mean a Trump victory proves Nate wrong-- rather Nate was given in this book as an example of someone who understands statistics and uncertainty enough to recognize the expectation he will be wrong some of the time.
The closing sentiment warmed me as well-- essentially, the question isn't when will you use math in your real life. You have used math every day of your life since you were born, the key is ensuring you are using it well.
lindsaysofia_25's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Another great read from Ellenberg! I loved the first book of his that I read so when I saw this at the library, I had to pick it up! I love the creative style of writing and the choice of content: it's the perfect blend of whimsical and informative. I genuinely feel not only enhanced in my mathematical reasoning abilities, but even more enthused about math as a research field than I was before. The bits of history of math and science intertwined are incredibly entertaining and definitely contribute to captivating my attention. I thought I had settled my little existential crisis over whether I should pursue math or microbiology as a career in favour of microbiology, but this book really reopened that can of worms, which should definitely be taken as a testament to the quality of this book!
The thing stopping me from rating even a quarter of a star higher than 4/5 is that it isn't really for the audience it presents itself as being catered to. The title/subtitle and tone at times definitely suggest that the book is for people with little math background beyond grade school math class, but I don't really think it would be interesting for that audience. It's absolutely fascinating to me as someone who loves math and thinking about complex ideas, but I definitely understand where other reviews are coming from when they're not really in that demographic.
The thing stopping me from rating even a quarter of a star higher than 4/5 is that it isn't really for the audience it presents itself as being catered to. The title/subtitle and tone at times definitely suggest that the book is for people with little math background beyond grade school math class, but I don't really think it would be interesting for that audience. It's absolutely fascinating to me as someone who loves math and thinking about complex ideas, but I definitely understand where other reviews are coming from when they're not really in that demographic.
knitnetic's review against another edition
4.0
A little meandering at times, but a great level of math for someone with a more-than-passing interest.
dreamofdata's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
al_r3ad5's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.25
nitindangwal's review against another edition
2.0
The book might be good.. might be bad.. How do I know? I am not a math major. And this is the biggest problem with the book. In trying to increase its reach, this book is being sold as -Freakonomics - Economics for layman. The fact is that it is not. Even though the anecdotes are engaging but it loses me every time it goes on explaining those convoluted axioms.
Not to say that the things discussed here are impregnable. I mean one can slow down to understand things but then I was not prepared for that kind of reading. The tile and its description are misleading.
So only two stars.
Not to say that the things discussed here are impregnable. I mean one can slow down to understand things but then I was not prepared for that kind of reading. The tile and its description are misleading.
So only two stars.