How do I describe it? The title suggests it is “Economics for freaks”. Or maybe, “Economics by a Freak”. Either ways, its not economics at all. Or is it?Well, the book is certainly no PhD literature or a text book in economics. The graphs which so plentifully adorn economics text books like heaps of jewelry encumbering an Indian bride, are conspicuous by their absence. And there are certainly no third derivatives of random variables, etc. etc.
What makes the book fun to read, even for… shall I say, laymen, or the humans who understand English but not Economics, is that the book goes about making inferences from data in a way Sherlock Holmes explains his “Elementary, dear Watson”. At the end of the inference you would go “A-ha”. Look at Freakonomics as a creativity and inquisitiveness stimulating book. At a gathering of philosophers, economists and other pundits there were several unifying themes presented for Levitt’s work. For me, the central message is, ask the right questions, gather the right data, and get the right answers. The first step, and therefore the most crucial one, is ask the right questions. More importantly, ASK. The book addresses questions which would make an economist cringe by their frivolity. Sample these:
- What do school teachers and Sumo wrestlers have in common?
- Where have all the criminals gone?
- What makes a perfect parent?
And so on. Freakonomics gives a “scientific” approach to resolve these, many would say, pointless, questions. And that is where the charm of the book lies.
At the end of book, I really feel inspired to dig for more of Levitt’s research. It would be so absolutely fantastic to have him as a teacher for a couple of terms. There is no way that someone can not enjoy this book. It might not change the way you think. It might not spark that curiosity or the methodology in you. If nothing else, the book is plain fun. You could read it for that!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment