Everything Is Obvious

Read Everything Is Obvious Storyline:

Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Why did
Facebook succeed when other social networking sites failed? Did the surge in
Iraq really lead to less violence? How much can CEO’s impact the performance of
their companies? And does higher pay incentivize people to work hard?If
you think the answers to these questions are a matter of common sense, think
again. As sociologist and network science pioneer Duncan Watts explains in this
provocative book, the explanations that we give for the outcomes that we observe
in life—explanation that seem obvious once we know the answer—are less useful
than they seem.Drawing on the latest scientific research, along with a
wealth of historical and contemporary examples, Watts shows how common sense
reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into believing that we understand
more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to
predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go
awry.It seems obvious, for example, that people respond to incentives;
yet policy makers and managers alike frequently fail to anticipate how people
will respond to the incentives they create. Social trends often seem to have
been driven by certain influential people; yet marketers have been unable to
identify these “influencers” in advance. And although successful products or
companies always seem in retrospect to have succeeded because of their unique
qualities, predicting the qualities of the next hit product or hot company is
notoriously difficult even for experienced professionals.Only by
understanding how and when common sense fails, Watts argues, can we improve how
we plan for the future, as well as understand the present—an argument that has
important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in
science and everyday life.Review
"Mr. Watts, a former sociology professor
and physicist who is now a researcher for Yahoo, has written a fascinating book
that ranges through psychology, economics, marketing and the science of social
networks.”- The Wall Street Journal“It’s about
time a sociologist wrote an amazing and accessible book for a non-specialist
audience. Everything Is Obvious*: Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts is
that amazing book.”- Inside Higher Ed“In this
bold thesis, renowned network scientist Duncan J. Watts exposes the complex
mechanics of judgement and proposes a radical new way of thinking about human
behaviour.”— Scott Wilson, The Fringe Magazine“Common
sense is a kind of bespoke make-believe, and we can no more use it to
scientifically explain the workings of the social world than we can use a hammer
to understand mollusks.” — Nicholas Christakis, The New York
Times “Everything is Obvious is engagingly written and
sparkles with counter-intuitive insights. Its modesty about what can and cannot
be known also compares favourably with other “big idea”
books.”— James Crabtree, comment editor Financial
Times"Every once in a while, a book comes along that forces us to
re-examine what we know and how we know it. This is one of those books. And
while it is not always pleasurable to realize the many ways in which we are
wrong, it is useful to figure out the cases where our intuitions fail
us."- Dan Ariely, James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at
Duke University, and New York Times bestselling author of Predictably
Irrational“A deep and insightful book that is a joy to read.
There are new ideas on every page, and none of them is
obvious!” -Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology at Harvard
University and author of Stumbling on Happiness "A
brilliant account of why, for every hard question, there’s a common sense
answer that’s simple, seductive, and spectacularly wrong. If you are suspicious
of pop sociology, rogue economics, and didactic history – or, more importantly,
if you aren’t! – Everything is Obvious is necessary reading. It will
literally change the way you think."- Eric Klinenberg, Professor of
Sociology. New York University"You have to take notice when
common sense, the bedrock thing we’ve always counted on, is challenged
brilliantly. Especially when something better than common sense is suggested. As
we increasingly experience the world as a maddeningly complex blur, we need a
new way of seeing. The fresh ideas in this book, like the invention of
spectacles, help bring things into better focus."- Alan
Alda“Everything is Obvious is indicated for managers,
scholars, or anyone else tired of oversimplified, faulty explanations about how
business, government, society and even sports work. Temporary side effects of
reading Duncan Watts' tour de force include: light-headedness, a tendency to
question one's colleagues, temporary doubt in one's own strategies. Long term
effects include: Deeper insight into history, current events, corporate politics
and any other human activity that involves more than one person at a time.
Everything is Obvious is available without a prescription.”-
Dalton Conley, Dean for the Social Sciences, New York
University"A truly important work that's bound to rattle the
cages of pseudo- and self-proclaimed experts in every field. If this book
doesn't force you to re-examine what you're doing, something is wrong with
you." - Guy Kawasaki, author of Enchantment: The Art of Changing
Hearts, Minds, and Actions, and co-founder of
Alltop.com."Watts brings science to life. A complicated, global,
interconnected world, one which often overwhelms, is tamed by wit, skepticism,
and the power to challenge conventional wisdom. The book will help you see
patterns, where you might have thought chaos ruled."-Sudhir
Venkatesh, William B. Ransford Professor of Sociology at Columbia
University

About the Author
DUNCAN WATTS, a professor of
sociology at Columbia University, is a principal research scientist at Yahoo!
Research. A former officer in the Royal Australian Navy, he holds a Ph.D. in
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University. He is the author of
Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age (Norton, 2003). He lives in
New York City. For more information visit www.everythingisobvious.comHardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Crown Business (March 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385531680
ISBN-13: 978-0385531689
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches