A review by nekomancer42
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Cass R. Sunstein, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony

1.0

This is one of the worst popular press social sciences books I've ever read, and I've read many. It gets a lot wrong about what we know regarding decision-making and basic statistics. While it's true that algorithms are highly useful when applied appropriately, this book massively overstates the case in their favor while neglecting important counterpoints, among other serious problems. Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" remains one of my favorite books on research in psychology and this is an extremely disappointing step down. I recommend skipping "Noise" entirely and looking elsewhere if you're interested in the subjects it touches on. Want a book on statistics? Try "Naked Statistics" by Charles Wheelan. Interested in decision-making? "Thinking, Fast and Slow" is still good, but skip the chapter of priming (it doesn't hold up). "Thinking in Bets" is decent as well. Want critical thinking with a healthy dose of data interpretation? "Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World" is pretty good. Just, whatever you do, skip "Noise" and spend your time elsewhere.