The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World
by: Tim Harford
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Amazon.com Review:
A Message to Amazon Readers from Author Tim HarfordGive yourself a pat on the back. You're not as stupid as everyone says you are, and now there's a book that proves it. When I first conceived of The Logic of Life, my aim was to show that a world full of smart people--people like you, that is--doesnt necessarily look logical on the surface. We eat too much and worry about being fat; drink too much and cringe when we remember; spend too much at Christmas and worry about the bills in New Year. And thats just the small stuff: what about crime, racial segregation, divorce, big-money politics?And yet underneath it all there is a hidden logic. It isnt always pretty, but its there if you know how to see it. That is what The Logic of Life is all about.But when I'd finished the first draft, my editor told me that he didn't think that people were as logical as I'd said. He wanted me to prove my point.At first, I thought it was my editor thinks people are illogical because he works in the publishing business. Of course life looks illogical if you do that. (In fact, life looks crazy in most offices: see "Why Your Boss is Overpaid," chapter four.) But then I realised he was right. I'd left the most important step out.So I went back and made sure that I laid out all the amazing evidence. I looked at single women hitting the dating scene in American cities; I looked at juvenile delinquents across the US; I looked at Mexican prostitutes; I looked at traders at a convention in Disney World; I looked at professional poker players in Las Vegas and professional soccer players in Europe. I looked at violent spouses, alcoholics, and school bullies.In every case I discovered a story of hidden incentives and unexpected logic. And through the process of writing--and living--the book, I discovered that this crazy world of ours makes more sense than you might think.
Product Description:
Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany altar? Thorny questions–and you might be surprised to hear the answers coming from an economist.
But Tim Harford, award-winning journalist and author of the bestseller The Undercover Economist, likes to spring surprises. In this deftly reasoned book, Harford argues that life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work, and Harford shows these incentives emerging in the most unlikely places.
Using tools ranging from animal experiments to supercomputer simulations, an ambitious new breed of economist is trying to unlock the secrets of society. The Logic of Life is the first book to map out the astonishing insights and frustrating blind spots of this new economics in a way that anyone can enjoy.
The Logic of Life presents an X-ray image of human life, stripping away the surface to show us a picture that is revealing, enthralling, and sometimes disturbing. The stories that emerge are not about data or equations but about people: the athlete who survived a shocking murder attempt, the computer geek who beat the hard-bitten poker pros, the economist who defied Henry Kissinger and faked an invasion of Berlin, the king who tried to buy off a revolution.
Once you’ve read this quotable and addictive book, life will never look the same again.
A Message to Amazon Readers from Author Tim HarfordGive yourself a pat on the back. You're not as stupid as everyone says you are, and now there's a book that proves it. When I first conceived of The Logic of Life, my aim was to show that a world full of smart people--people like you, that is--doesnt necessarily look logical on the surface. We eat too much and worry about being fat; drink too much and cringe when we remember; spend too much at Christmas and worry about the bills in New Year. And thats just the small stuff: what about crime, racial segregation, divorce, big-money politics?And yet underneath it all there is a hidden logic. It isnt always pretty, but its there if you know how to see it. That is what The Logic of Life is all about.But when I'd finished the first draft, my editor told me that he didn't think that people were as logical as I'd said. He wanted me to prove my point.At first, I thought it was my editor thinks people are illogical because he works in the publishing business. Of course life looks illogical if you do that. (In fact, life looks crazy in most offices: see "Why Your Boss is Overpaid," chapter four.) But then I realised he was right. I'd left the most important step out.So I went back and made sure that I laid out all the amazing evidence. I looked at single women hitting the dating scene in American cities; I looked at juvenile delinquents across the US; I looked at Mexican prostitutes; I looked at traders at a convention in Disney World; I looked at professional poker players in Las Vegas and professional soccer players in Europe. I looked at violent spouses, alcoholics, and school bullies.In every case I discovered a story of hidden incentives and unexpected logic. And through the process of writing--and living--the book, I discovered that this crazy world of ours makes more sense than you might think.
Product Description:
Life sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany altar? Thorny questions–and you might be surprised to hear the answers coming from an economist.
But Tim Harford, award-winning journalist and author of the bestseller The Undercover Economist, likes to spring surprises. In this deftly reasoned book, Harford argues that life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work, and Harford shows these incentives emerging in the most unlikely places.
Using tools ranging from animal experiments to supercomputer simulations, an ambitious new breed of economist is trying to unlock the secrets of society. The Logic of Life is the first book to map out the astonishing insights and frustrating blind spots of this new economics in a way that anyone can enjoy.
The Logic of Life presents an X-ray image of human life, stripping away the surface to show us a picture that is revealing, enthralling, and sometimes disturbing. The stories that emerge are not about data or equations but about people: the athlete who survived a shocking murder attempt, the computer geek who beat the hard-bitten poker pros, the economist who defied Henry Kissinger and faked an invasion of Berlin, the king who tried to buy off a revolution.
Once you’ve read this quotable and addictive book, life will never look the same again.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- An informative and fun read.Great book and highly recommended
I picked up this book as this was rated one of the best books of 2008 by the Economist magazine.Glad I did so!! This book is a page turner.
If you've ever wondered or doubted about human intelligence or our rationality in the decisions and choices we make, you'll be gladly convinced by the author's argument that we needn't have any doubt.
With a simple premise - that rational choice underlies much of human behavior- the author helps the reader understand the rationality ... Read More
Rating: 
- Good only in parts, puerile reasoning at times, very disappointing followup to Undercover Economist
Interesting only in bits, tenuously argued, outright outrageously silly in some places, and with a huge 'Freakonomics' hangover. Many situations and outcomes in life can be explained by applying a line of rational thinking, in the author's opinion, but there are weakly argued passages, slipshod overlooking of alternate explanations, overly narrow applicability of some situations, and places where the author blithely overlooks uncomfortable alternate justifications.
In comparison to Harford's ... Read More
Rating: 
- And You Thought Economics Wasn't Fun...
A funny thing has been happening in recent years: writers have successfully been crafting books which make economics seem fun! Treated for so long as a cut-and-dry subject, revolving solely around supply and demand, economics got something of a raw deal for the last century. It's been seen alternatively as "voodoo" and controlled by an unstoppable "invisible hand." What latter-day economists have gifted the world with is a way to connect personally with economic principles, to understand our wonderful and ... Read More
Rating: - The process of making logical choices rationally
Tim Harford's The Logic of Life, is a fascinating look into life's circumstances through the eyes of a British economist. Each chapter flows seamlessly to the next, written in an appealing, conversational style. The text is liberally peppered with the author's thought-provoking insights, and relentlessly engaging tongue-in-cheek humor.
To make his points and share his economic wisdom, Harford introduces the reader to numerous prominent economists, and other spicy characters, through the recount ... Read More
Rating: - An economist proves that people are more rational than we think
Economists no longer just propose fiscal policies, forecast business growth, investigate interest rates and assign value to financial assets. Now they also conduct lab experiments, research teenagers' sexual activities, analyze prostitutes' condom usage, hypothesize about what happened to the Neanderthals, explain crime waves and develop winning poker strategies. Look under the bed or out the window, and you will probably find an economist taking notes while researching you and your neighbors. Tim Harford is ... Read More
- An informative and fun read.Great book and highly recommendedI picked up this book as this was rated one of the best books of 2008 by the Economist magazine.Glad I did so!! This book is a page turner.
If you've ever wondered or doubted about human intelligence or our rationality in the decisions and choices we make, you'll be gladly convinced by the author's argument that we needn't have any doubt.
With a simple premise - that rational choice underlies much of human behavior- the author helps the reader understand the rationality ... Read More
- Good only in parts, puerile reasoning at times, very disappointing followup to Undercover EconomistInteresting only in bits, tenuously argued, outright outrageously silly in some places, and with a huge 'Freakonomics' hangover. Many situations and outcomes in life can be explained by applying a line of rational thinking, in the author's opinion, but there are weakly argued passages, slipshod overlooking of alternate explanations, overly narrow applicability of some situations, and places where the author blithely overlooks uncomfortable alternate justifications.
In comparison to Harford's ... Read More
- And You Thought Economics Wasn't Fun...A funny thing has been happening in recent years: writers have successfully been crafting books which make economics seem fun! Treated for so long as a cut-and-dry subject, revolving solely around supply and demand, economics got something of a raw deal for the last century. It's been seen alternatively as "voodoo" and controlled by an unstoppable "invisible hand." What latter-day economists have gifted the world with is a way to connect personally with economic principles, to understand our wonderful and ... Read More
- The process of making logical choices rationallyTim Harford's The Logic of Life, is a fascinating look into life's circumstances through the eyes of a British economist. Each chapter flows seamlessly to the next, written in an appealing, conversational style. The text is liberally peppered with the author's thought-provoking insights, and relentlessly engaging tongue-in-cheek humor.
To make his points and share his economic wisdom, Harford introduces the reader to numerous prominent economists, and other spicy characters, through the recount ... Read More
- An economist proves that people are more rational than we thinkEconomists no longer just propose fiscal policies, forecast business growth, investigate interest rates and assign value to financial assets. Now they also conduct lab experiments, research teenagers' sexual activities, analyze prostitutes' condom usage, hypothesize about what happened to the Neanderthals, explain crime waves and develop winning poker strategies. Look under the bed or out the window, and you will probably find an economist taking notes while researching you and your neighbors. Tim Harford is ... Read More
