Think Like a Freak
Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more. Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally--to think, that is, like a Freak. Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria. Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak: First, put away your moral compass--because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it. Learn to say "I don't know"--for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to. Think like a child--because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
6mentions
6people
2014–2020years
33% recommend67% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- The Holy Bible
Start With Why
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Think Like a Freak
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- Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner (authors of Freakonomics) was a recent read that I liked a lot. It distills much of their economic thinking into a collection of meaningful practices. You could read it in a day.
- As best as I can tell from a cursory look it originates from this research originally published in 2012: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/...
Via the book Think Like A Freak which I’d guess extrapolates from it. But it seems like one of those ideas that has gone from plausible explanation to fact in popular imagination.
- Dead link, but this is the exact title of a section in "Think like a Freak" by Levvit and Dubner.
- Here are all the ones I read this year
My 5 favorite ones from that list areA Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman The Wright Brothers by David McCullough Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel PhilbrickIn the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson The Wright Brothers by David McCullough - This is also mentioned in the book "Think like a Freak" by by Steven D. Evitt and Stephen J. Dubner
