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Everything Is Obvious

ebook
By understanding how and when common sense fails, we can improve our understanding of the present and better plan for the future. 
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 be 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.
Watts' argument has important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in science and everyday life.

Expand title description text
Publisher: Crown

Kindle Book

  • Release date: March 29, 2011

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780385531696
  • Release date: March 29, 2011

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780385531696
  • File size: 2511 KB
  • Release date: March 29, 2011

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

Languages

English

By understanding how and when common sense fails, we can improve our understanding of the present and better plan for the future. 
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 be 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.
Watts' argument has important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in science and everyday life.

Expand title description text
  • Details

    Publisher:
    Crown

    Kindle Book
    Release date: March 29, 2011

    OverDrive Read
    ISBN: 9780385531696
    Release date: March 29, 2011

    EPUB ebook
    ISBN: 9780385531696
    File size: 2511 KB
    Release date: March 29, 2011

  • Creators
  • Formats
    Kindle Book
    OverDrive Read
    EPUB ebook
  • Languages
    English
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