Leonard Mlodinow

'Often historical, occasionally hysterical, and consistently smart and funny, this book challenges everything we think we know about how the world works' Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness Randomness and uncertainty surround everything we do. So why are we so bad at understanding them? Leonard Mlodinow reveals the psychological illusions that prevent us understanding everything from stock-picking to wine-tasting, winning the lottery to road safety, and reveals the truth about the success of sporting heroes and film stars, and even how to make sense of a blood test. The Drunkard's Walk is an exhilarating, eye-opening guide to understanding our random world - read it, so you won't be left a victim of chance. 'Delightful . . . Our lives may be shaped by chance, but they are enriched by awareness - just the sort of awareness that this fascinating book will give you' Guardian 'Mlodinow writes in a breezy style, interspersing probabilistic mind-benders with portraits of theorists . . . The result is a readable crash course in randomness' The New York Times 'Please read The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow, a history, explanation, and exaltation of probability theory . . . The results are mind-bending' Fortune

How Randomness Rules Our Lives

The Drunkard's Walk

In this irreverent and illuminating book, acclaimed writer and scientist Leonard Mlodinow shows us how randomness, change, and probability reveal a tremendous amount about our daily lives, and how we misunderstand the significance of everything from a casual conversation to a major financial setback. As a result, successes and failures in life are often attributed to clear and obvious cases, when in actuality they are more profoundly influenced by chance.The rise and fall of your favorite movie star of the most reviled CEO--in fact, of all our destinies--reflects as much as planning and innate abilities. Even the legendary Roger Maris, who beat Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, was in all likelihood not great but just lucky. And it might be shocking to realize that you are twice as likely to be killed in a car accident on your way to buying a lottery ticket than you are to win the lottery.How could it have happened that a wine was given five out of five stars, the highest rating, in one journal and in another it was called the worst wine of the decade? Mlodinow vividly demonstrates how wine ratings, school grades, political polls, and many other things in daily life are less reliable than we believe. By showing us the true nature of change and revealing the psychological illusions that cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives fresh insight into what is really meaningful and how we can make decisions based on a deeper truth. From the classroom to the courtroom, from financial markets to supermarkets, from the doctor's office to the Oval Office, Mlodinow's insights will intrigue, awe, and inspire.Offering readers not only a tour of randomness, chance, and probability but also a new way of looking at the world, this original, unexpected journey reminds us that much in our lives is about as predictable as the steps of a stumbling man fresh from a night at the bar. (From the Hardcover edition.)

Lord Aragorn

Even though at some point I had learned the math in the book, this was an enlightening look at it in the context of real life. I especially liked the closing sections of the book.

Nelson Zagalo

If you want to know what random means, and what its relation with your everyday life, just read this book. The "Drunkard's Walk" is a metaphor for the unpredictability of a succession of events. Mlodinow takes us from Probability to Pattern Avidity throughout a journey on the questions behind Chance, Accident and Randomness. This is not new for people versed in Math and Physics, but when you apply this to ordinary events, it shines light and explains a lot.

More on this soon in my blog...

Stewart Scott

More between 3 and 4 stars. I more than liked it but it wasn't amazing. Hard topic to keep interest and enthusiasm on.

The Drunkard's Walk How Randomness Rules Our Lives

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