- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books; Reprint edition (19 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1416532226
- ISBN-13: 978-1416532224
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 832,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"Steve Landsburg is one of my favorite economics writers, and his new book is no exception. While I don't always agree with him, he usually gets me thinking, and he always entertains." -- Greg Mankiw, former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers and author of "Principles of Economics"
Product Description
Steve Landsburg has been leading the pack of economists who are transforming their science from a drab meditation on graphs and charts into a fascinating window on human nature. Now he's back and more provocative than ever with surprises on virtually every page. In More Sex is Safer Sex, Professor Landsburg offers readers a series of stimulating discussions that all flow from one unsettling fact. Combining the rational decisions of each of us often produces an irrational result for all of us. Avoiding casual sex can actually encourage the spread of diseases. To solve population pressures, we need more people. In his tantalizing, entertaining narrative, Landsburg guides us through these shocking notions by the light of compelling logic and evidence and makes suggestions along the way: Why not charge juries if a convicted felon is exonerated? Why not let firemen keep the property they rescue? As entertaining as it is inflammatory, More Sex is Safer Sex, will make readers think about their decisions in unforgettable ways-and spark debate over much that we all take for granted.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Following on from 'the armchair economist' Steven Landsburg has released this book. It's in a similar vein to 'Freakonomics' and the 'Undercover Economist' so if you enjoyed those you'll probably like this (but I'm sure Amazon has probably already worked that out and told you). Landsburg tends to more closely focus on what could be termed 'traditional economics' supply demand etc than Freakonomics, but he takes the same counterintuitive lines of argument which have you gripped by the frustration of being certain his conclusion should be wrong but knowing that his logic is right. There are occasional lapses where you see an underlying falacy poking through but they didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. After all, thinking that some of the arguments are disprovable and trying to do so is probably half the fun. Would recommend to any Economics students or armchair economists as proof that there is indeed more to the dismal science than meets the eye.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is proof that economists don't inhabit the same planet as the rest of us. Economists start from the premise that humans are rational beings, weighing up costs and benefits before making a decision about "resources". The rest of us know that human beings are irrational creatures, driven by prejudices, fears, ideologies, group pressures, and so on.
Whilst the subjects discussed in the book could be thought-provoking, the thought is more often along the lines of "that's a bit of a leap of logic" or "you've omitted an equally valid conclusion".
The example that leads to the title is a prime example of the failure to think a little more carefully. In essence, the idea is that if an uninfected guy goes out and picks up an uninfected woman, she will be saved from a one night stand with an infected partner and thus the spread of AIDS is reduced; whereas if he stays home, she will end up with the infected guy and spread the disease. There is no mention of the odds she'll become infected, no mention of what happens when the virtuous cycle is broken (a massive *increase* in infection rates); just a rather simplistic approach to the problem.
Another example: he postulates two groups, one a religious group that adamantly opposes porn, and the second a porn-loving group that wants to abolish religion. His view is that by abolishing both porn and religion, everybody becomes happier because the object of their ire has been removed. Unfortunately, the opposite (never mentioned) is the more likely outcome: everybody is now unhappy. Why? Because people put more weight on issues that affect them personally than on those that affect others. Therefore, by removing something they love, you have taken away something personal, which will outweigh any happiness gained from knowing that at least their opponents are now deprived of their particular "object of desire", for want of a better term.
Finally, if you're a liberal, you may find some parts cause you to become rather agitated...
Whilst the subjects discussed in the book could be thought-provoking, the thought is more often along the lines of "that's a bit of a leap of logic" or "you've omitted an equally valid conclusion".
The example that leads to the title is a prime example of the failure to think a little more carefully. In essence, the idea is that if an uninfected guy goes out and picks up an uninfected woman, she will be saved from a one night stand with an infected partner and thus the spread of AIDS is reduced; whereas if he stays home, she will end up with the infected guy and spread the disease. There is no mention of the odds she'll become infected, no mention of what happens when the virtuous cycle is broken (a massive *increase* in infection rates); just a rather simplistic approach to the problem.
Another example: he postulates two groups, one a religious group that adamantly opposes porn, and the second a porn-loving group that wants to abolish religion. His view is that by abolishing both porn and religion, everybody becomes happier because the object of their ire has been removed. Unfortunately, the opposite (never mentioned) is the more likely outcome: everybody is now unhappy. Why? Because people put more weight on issues that affect them personally than on those that affect others. Therefore, by removing something they love, you have taken away something personal, which will outweigh any happiness gained from knowing that at least their opponents are now deprived of their particular "object of desire", for want of a better term.
Finally, if you're a liberal, you may find some parts cause you to become rather agitated...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
With its eye-catching and provocative title, I really wanted to enjoy this book. Sadly, most of it is lazy, self-indulgent twaddle with more holes than a Swiss cheese and proves nothing more than that with a big enough ego, a good line in headline journalism and enough (usually unstated) assumptions, you can write whatever you like - the more outrageous and counter-intuitive the better - and present it as a revelation.
Occasionally, he pulls his finger out and writes something half-way sensible and vaguely interesting, but ultimately, I struggled to wade through and gave up.
Occasionally, he pulls his finger out and writes something half-way sensible and vaguely interesting, but ultimately, I struggled to wade through and gave up.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Before the undercover economist there was Steve E. Landsburg
Or so the blurb on the back reports.
The main subject matter of this book are what economists refer to as spill over effects (or which have been refered to by other... Read more
The main subject matter of this book are what economists refer to as spill over effects (or which have been refered to by other... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Lark
Sensationalist without actually being supported by evidence
It seems the author here is trying too hard to provoke the ire of established convention...
This would work well if it was also well-reasoned and backed up by good evidence. Read more
This would work well if it was also well-reasoned and backed up by good evidence. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Taryn East
Interesting Logic, Incomplete Reasoning
I am sure Landsburg is a brilliant mind. He breaks down some interesting concepts in this book, but the reasoning is not always sufficiently well-argued and as another review... Read more
Published 18 months ago by asp
More Sex is Safer Sex
Another collection of Steven Landsburg's writings. One of the few genuinely amusing books about economics and gives an interesting persepective on a number of questions
Published on 8 Mar 2010 by M. Dunn
ummm....ummmm....ok!
spill over effects,what a strange but simple way to look at events which otherwise look harmful in the long term, like overpopulation/overcrowding. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by thesiberian
Disappointing and sloppy
Book in a paragrpah "Think whatever you would normally think and then just reverse it. Then repeat. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Booballoo
Buy "Freekonomics" or "The Undercover Economist" instead
Having brought a couple of popular economics books in the past, namely "Freekonomics" and "The Undercover Economist" I saw this one on offer in WH Smiths and hoped that it would be... Read more
Published on 13 July 2009 by Mr. M. J. Young
Disappointing
Not nearly so good as "The Armchair Economist" - just a collection of left over ideas
Published on 31 May 2009 by E. E. Bailey
A brilliant book by a gifted thinker. Please ignore the fools who...
On reading this book I was simply stunned to see any negative reviews. And then when I read the reviews and saw their fallacies... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2009 by Mr. T. White
Meretricious claptrap
Another dismal potboiler from the underwhelming Landsburg. To my mind three quotes from the book tell you all you need to know:
page 174: "... Read more
page 174: "... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2008 by Gareth Greenwood
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