Freakonomics
It’s rather rare for me to see a movie before I read the book but I happened upon the movie Freakonomics on Netflix streaming several months ago and enjoyed the broad connections and thought-provoking discussions. Having finally read the book, I can say that I enjoyed the additional depth offered by the book. I’m a bit of a Sociology buff but no economics expert so while I can appreciate the connections the authors’ made, I certainly am not in a position to refute any of their data or conclusions. That said, by the end of the book, I found myself enjoying the IDEA of the potential connections that I wasn’t as concerned about the validity of the data. Scary, I know. But I thought of it more as an exercise in “What if?”, which is why I love to read science fiction and fantasy novels as well.
I believe that our behavior is in part determined by what motivates us and the incentives available to us, especially in terms of our interactions with others. I can see where a sumo wrestler might cheat a little when the outcome means little to him and more to his opponent, whom he knows quite well. I know it’s not on the same level but haven’t you ever let a little child win at a board game? Or listened for hours to a friend talk about her latest problem even though you’d rather be doing something else entirely? Don’t we often have to weigh our choices based on what’s in it for us and sometimes decide that it’s more important to choose what’s in it for someone we love?
You probably won’t enjoy this book if you aren’t a fan of popular science or know a lot about economics or care deeply about data and statistics. But, if you have an open mind and simply want to enjoy a “What if?” discussion, I recommend spending a few hours with the book or the movie.