- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd (2 Sep 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1846270731
- ISBN-13: 978-1846270734
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 131,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Being Wrong
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
`In this lovely book the forbiddingly clever and vexingly wise journalist Kathryn Schulz argues passionately for the value of error' --Guardian
`A brilliant new manifesto urging us to reassess our relationship with our own mistakes' --Independent
`Firmly in the Gladwellesque genre of applying savvy journalistic technique to produce insights' --Financial Times
`An insightful and delightful discussion of why we make mistakes and why we don't know we are making them' --International Herald Tribune
'A compelling meditation on the human condition ... Schulz exposes the psychological tricks we play on ourselves'
--New Scientist
`A brilliant new manifesto urging us to reassess our relationship with our own mistakes' --Independent
`Firmly in the Gladwellesque genre of applying savvy journalistic technique to produce insights' --Financial Times
`An insightful and delightful discussion of why we make mistakes and why we don't know we are making them' --International Herald Tribune
'A compelling meditation on the human condition ... Schulz exposes the psychological tricks we play on ourselves'
--New Scientist
Product Description
Being wrong is an inescapable part of being alive. And yet, we go through life tacitly assuming (or loudly insisting) that we are right about nearly everything - from our political beliefs to our private memories, from our grasp of scientific fact to the merits of our favourite team. Being Wrong looks at why this conviction has such a powerful grip on us, what happens when this conviction is shaken, and how we interpret the moral, political and psychological significance of being wrong.Drawing on philosophies old and new and cutting-edge neuroscience, Kathryn Schulz offers an eloquent exploration of the allure of certainty and the necessity of fallibility in four main areas: in religion (when the end of the world fails to be nigh); in politics (where were those WMD?); in memory (where did I leave my keys?); and in love (when Mr or Miss Right becomes Mr or Miss Wrong).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Schulz has had a great idea for a book here - discussing in a positive way how we are often wrong & why we have trouble admitting it to ourselves to the point of getting terribly wound up about being contradicted over the silliest things (the overheard argument over cake which can be read in Amazon's 'click to look inside' preview above is cringingly familiar). Of course, our opinions & beliefs can be wrong, not to mention our choice in partners, who often start off as The One & end up as anecdotes which end with 'what on earth did I ever see in them?'. But worryingly, even our memories can be wrong, incidents being slightly edited each time we recall them. Yet Schulz is terribly relaxed about all this, claiming that we shouldn't beat ourselves up over it & should just accept it as an inevitable consequence of having a human brain & - ironically - an integral part of determining what is 'right'.
But where Schulz herself goes wrong is in not corroborating her opinions. While I was hoping for facts thrown up by recent scientific studies which seems to be the format which many book like this use these days, she mainly presents us with her her opinions in isolation, which could therefore simply be... well, wrong. Ok by her own logic, that does not in itself invalidate them but without any proof, she could be wrong about the way we are being wrong. Or something. And the science of wrongness & how astonishingly bad our own perceptions, judgements & senses really are IS indeed out there, as hit upon in other 'philosophy' books from the seriously intellectual Undercover Philosopher to the more accessible & entertaining A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives.
Don't get wrong, this is an interesting & fun book but I couldn't help feeling that her musings were no more right, wrong or insightful than my own. But then it was her book which provoked my own musings in the first place. Also, it's not entirely about her opinions - she does outline conversations she's had with experts, including a neurologist. So SOME facts are included but for me, nowhere near enough. And Schulz does have a very engaging writing style. I'd still recommend this book but it'd be nice if she'd been able to find something more substantial to hang her hat on. I imagine a lot of people to whom this book will appeal may think that we can't hang our metaphorical hats on anything, at all, ever anyway but frankly, I think that's a step too far & reckon they are... I'll give you a clue, it begins with 'w'.
There's much to ruminate here & it refreshingly doesn't take itself (or its subject) too seriously. But then you shouldn't really take my word for it because perhaps I'm... Well, you know...
But where Schulz herself goes wrong is in not corroborating her opinions. While I was hoping for facts thrown up by recent scientific studies which seems to be the format which many book like this use these days, she mainly presents us with her her opinions in isolation, which could therefore simply be... well, wrong. Ok by her own logic, that does not in itself invalidate them but without any proof, she could be wrong about the way we are being wrong. Or something. And the science of wrongness & how astonishingly bad our own perceptions, judgements & senses really are IS indeed out there, as hit upon in other 'philosophy' books from the seriously intellectual Undercover Philosopher to the more accessible & entertaining A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives.
Don't get wrong, this is an interesting & fun book but I couldn't help feeling that her musings were no more right, wrong or insightful than my own. But then it was her book which provoked my own musings in the first place. Also, it's not entirely about her opinions - she does outline conversations she's had with experts, including a neurologist. So SOME facts are included but for me, nowhere near enough. And Schulz does have a very engaging writing style. I'd still recommend this book but it'd be nice if she'd been able to find something more substantial to hang her hat on. I imagine a lot of people to whom this book will appeal may think that we can't hang our metaphorical hats on anything, at all, ever anyway but frankly, I think that's a step too far & reckon they are... I'll give you a clue, it begins with 'w'.
There's much to ruminate here & it refreshingly doesn't take itself (or its subject) too seriously. But then you shouldn't really take my word for it because perhaps I'm... Well, you know...
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Kathryn Schulz's style is very clear and involving, often humorous and never patronising; it was a page-turner. Her assertions are well supported, illustrated with examples, and the text is littered with footnotes and endnotes, providing interesting asides, citing research studies and referencing the classics for further reading.
What struck me was how 'being wrong' encompasses all human experience: religion, love, science, crime, comedy, navigation, mental illness, art... As sure as we can believe and experience anything, we can be wrong about it (apart from whether we exist at all--we can't be wrong about that).
Whilst the book takes as its theme that we are all fallible, it explores the 'optimistic' view of this trait, and the role it plays in those things which make us human. It would cheapen this book to class it as 'self-help', but if you've ever made a mistake and felt a bit bad about yourself, you'll find the arguments within of great benefit.
This book makes me want to have studied philosophy or psychology. On almost every page, I learned to look at something in another way. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
What struck me was how 'being wrong' encompasses all human experience: religion, love, science, crime, comedy, navigation, mental illness, art... As sure as we can believe and experience anything, we can be wrong about it (apart from whether we exist at all--we can't be wrong about that).
Whilst the book takes as its theme that we are all fallible, it explores the 'optimistic' view of this trait, and the role it plays in those things which make us human. It would cheapen this book to class it as 'self-help', but if you've ever made a mistake and felt a bit bad about yourself, you'll find the arguments within of great benefit.
This book makes me want to have studied philosophy or psychology. On almost every page, I learned to look at something in another way. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is a provocative and thoughtful book about how being human is about being wrong - and what we can learn from that. It is written in an elegant and chatty style so that, although underpinned by research and a wide range of references, it is very readable. My only complaint is that it could have done with editing; it is too long and could have easily lost 50 pages without any damage to the essential arguments.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Thought provoking but not all the time...
A pick up and put down me book with many examples of both positive negatives that occur throughout our awareness. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. P. A. King
Interesting exploration of inescapable error and the urge to certainty
'Being Wrong' is an examination of the significance of error in human thinking, and more broadly in every aspect of human existence, from simple mistakes of attention to the role... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Paul Bowes
Refreshing
I really enjoyed reading this book (the first chapter is a little slow, but the rest is excellent). This is somewhat of a self-help book which is usually not a good thing in my... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Maria E. Bailey
The rightness of wrongness
Schulz is clearly looking for a slice of the Blink/Freakonomics/Black Swan market, but don't let that put you off. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Alan Hansen
Thinking
A thought-provoking and a thought-stirring book. Quite a few things fell into place for me. I could now make sense of past experiences and look forward to new. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ian Mason
Wrong
Actually a suprisingly indepth book, i have to say i'm very impressed. I have a background in psychology myself and i will say that the author definatly knows what they are on... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Funk
Fascinating insights
This book provides a fascinating insight into the psychology of being wrong. Written in entertaining style, it makes you think about how we tackle everyday problems. Read more
Published 15 months ago by L. White
Fascinatingly right about being wrong - just too much of it.
This was a book at once absorbing and exhausting. Kathryn Schulz' scholarly and wide-ranging enquiry into both the necessity of being wrong, the neuroscience of being wrong and the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lady Fancifull
It's Wrong But It's Right
This is a fascinating insight into human error and how it informs our thoughts and actions, both for better or worse. Read more
Published 17 months ago by I. Bullen
Just add schadenfreude
Firstly, its important to make clear that this is a Philosophy book as in the true meaning of the subject (the meta-subject that defines meaning for the physical sciences; the kind... Read more
Published 17 months ago by M. Bhangal
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