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WILD PROBLEMS

Russ Roberts

A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us

From the author of HOW ADAM SMITH CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE, this is for readers of behavioral psychology and smart self-help books about decision-making, and for fans of Michael Lewis, Daniel Kahneman, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Algorithms and apps analyze data and tell you how to beat the traffic, what books to buy, what music to listen to, and even who to date - often with great results. But what do you do when you face the big decisions of life - the "wild problems" of who to marry, whether to have children, where to move, how to forge a life well-lived - that can't be solved by measurement or calculation?

In Wild Problems, beloved host of EconTalk Russ Roberts offers puzzled rationalists a way to address these wild problems. He suggests spending less time and energy on the path that promises the most happiness, and more time on figuring out who you actually want to be. He draws on the experience of great artists, writers, and scientists of the past who found creative ways to navigate life's biggest questions. And he lays out strategies for reducing the fear and the loss of control that inevitably come when a wild problem requires a leap in the dark.

Ultimately, Roberts asks us to see ourselves and our lives less as a problem to be solved than a mystery to be experienced. There's no right decision waiting to be uncovered by an app or rational analysis. Reality is harder than that and, perhaps, a little more interesting.

Russ Roberts is the President of Shalem College in Jerusalem and John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He hosts the award-winning weekly podcast EconTalk, in which he distills economic concepts with guests such as Michael Lewis, Jill Lepore, Angela Duckworth, Christopher Hitchens, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He is the author of five books, including Gambling With Other People's Money and How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life, and co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap videos, which have been viewed over 12 million times on YouTube. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.
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Published 2022-08-09 by Portfolio

Comments

Roberts's thought-provoking take on the limits of data and the overquantification of contemporary life provides a bold and original perspective on how humans can make better decisions. Daniel Kahneman's fans will find much to ponder. Read more...

I've learned more about economics and economic reasoning from Russ Roberts than from all other sources combined. I am delighted to find out in this book that Roberts is also a source about the limits of economic reasoning when it comes to existential decisions.

An interesting and useful book. The 'wild problems' it explains how to solve include the biggest ones you'll face in your life.

A beautiful meditation on big life choices, gently reminding us of the limits of narrow cost-benefit reasoning and presenting an alternative approach to human flourishing.

Economist and host of the EconTalk podcast Roberts is used to breaking down problems using rational methods, but what do we do about "wild problems" that don't have a logical solution? We're talking things like marriage, having kids or making a career shift - all those big things that a pros and cons list alone won't cut. This book breaks down how some of the greats have made those tough choices, and how we can do the same. Read more...

#613: Russ Roberts on Lessons from F.A. Hayek and Nassim Taleb, Decision-Making Insights from Charles Darwin, The Dangers of Scientism, Wild Problems in Life and the Decisions That Define Us, Learnings from the Talmud, The Role of Prayer, and The Journey to Transcendence | Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Eight Sleep's Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Pique premium pu'er tea crystals... Read more...

Waze and Google Maps tell us the best way to get to where we're going. But no app or algorithm can tell us whether we should head there in the first place. To economist Russ Roberts, the reason is simple: Humans are dynamic and aspirational beings. When it comes to making life's big decisions, from what to study to whom to marry or whether to have a child, it's not always us doing the deciding, he argues, but rather the people we want to be. Join the host of EconTalk, the president of Shalem College, and the author of the new book Wild Problems, as he speaks with friend and EconTalk favorite Michael Munger about why the traditional economic models for decision making can lead us astray--and why life should be less about solving problems than embracing possibilities. Read more...

Wild Problems is a powerful guide to a more meaningful life.

Robert Russ is cited in an article about "5 Tips to Help You Make Hard Decisions, According to Experts" Read more...

"There's Often No Right Answer": A Famous Economist Explains the Smartest Way to Tackle Life's "Wild Problems" Russ Roberts knows that some of life's most important questions can't be quantified. But he has some ideas on how to try. ... Read more...

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This excellent book won't make your decisions for you. Instead, it will do something more powerful: help you think about your most important decisions in a completely new light.