Customer Reviews
Even more relevant today than when it was first written - By: S. Malpas, 05 Sep 2008 
This book was first publishedin 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriatein this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups & detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rantin their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened & tolerant public.
There are stacks of case studiesin the book - well over a hundred, describedin great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) & you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects & stooges.
This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts & probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large partin human irrational thinking,in people from ALL walks of life.
Other common causes of ignorance & mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, & plenty more are all discussed at great length.
If you see a correlation between A & B & conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences & suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely thatin a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!
The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend - By: Ole Perch Jensen, 27 Jul 2008 
We all act on impulse & make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long & hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.
Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief & perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approachedin a rational manner.
As this book points out, many lives & lots of money have been lost & many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting factsin ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity & many other irrational reasons.
This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior & how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day & are among the advertisers' best weapons.
If you want to improve you own decision making -in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions & thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.
English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficientin the English language to get the full benefit of the book.
For those seeking more information about the topics & examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.
I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.
A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book - By: B. W. Jenner, 27 Jul 2008 The actuarial method has proved successfulin predicting happinessin marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.
This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysisin a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might havein your intuition, or any secret belief you may havein the paranormal.
I have a business, & I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually,in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.
Also, I have had many very disappointing experiencesin interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't resultin the best candidate being selected.
I've often felt marginalised & disdained for not being a malleable member of committees & groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories & examplesin the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.
Irrationality- A virus to be treated - By: Adrian Booth, 06 Jul 2008 Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research & experiments conductedin the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments & situations where humans behavein foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationalityin medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives & punishments are dangerousin many instances, & leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confidentin a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.
Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. Allin all, I would recommend it to anyone.
Really Thought Provoking - By: Green horn, 28 Jun 2008 This is my first & I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very usefulin choosing whether to buy a book or not.
Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now & found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we arein groups, committees & depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" & when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.
I recommend this for anyone interestedin how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies & cannot go back & why military generals should not believein their own abilities.
