Book Review: Freakonomics

I just finished a great book, Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. The former is an economist at the University of Chicago and the latter writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times.

In short, the book is about cause and effect. It is about speaking with data to support or refute conventional wisdom. I especially enjoyed that part. In today's twenty four hour media, it is too easy to just believe what we are told. This gets worse if you only listen to one side of the argument (left or right).

Another key point is understanding what motivates people to do the things they do. As a statistician or economist, this can help find patterns in data. For example, he has a chapter on corruption in Japanese sumo wrestling. There has never been public proof of cheating but Levin thinks about what incentive a wrestler would have to cheat. Once this is understood, then he had a data collection path to follow. Close inspection of historical records does suggest that cheating takes place in top tournaments.

I read the book in one week. It is easy to read and very thought provoking. I recommend it.