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The Data Detective
- Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics
- Narrated by: Tim Harford
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
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Publisher's Summary
From “one of the great (greatest?) contemporary popular writers on economics” (Tyler Cowen) comes a smart, lively, and encouraging rethinking of how to use statistics.
Today we think statistics are the enemy, numbers used to mislead and confuse us. That’s a mistake, Tim Harford says in The Data Detective. We shouldn’t be suspicious of statistics - we need to understand what they mean and how they can improve our lives: they are, at heart, human behavior seen through the prism of numbers and are often “the only way of grasping much of what is going on around us”. If we can toss aside our fears and learn to approach them clearly - understanding how our own preconceptions lead us astray - statistics can point to ways we can live better and work smarter.
As “perhaps the best popular economics writer in the world” (New Statesman), Tim Harford is an expert at taking complicated ideas and untangling them for millions of readers. In The Data Detective, he uses new research in science and psychology to set out ten strategies for using statistics to erase our biases and replace them with new ideas that use virtues like patience, curiosity, and good sense to better understand ourselves and the world. As a result, The Data Detective is a big-idea book about statistics and human behavior that is fresh, unexpected, and insightful.
What the critics say
"Lively, crystal-clear, and insightful explanations of how data are increasingly affecting our lives - a phenomenon that every educated person should understand.” (Steven Pinker, author of Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters)
“[Harford] expertly guides us through the many ways in which data can trick us.... Though numbers are at the core of The Data Detective, it’s emotion that wields...power, affecting not only how we respond to data but also how we absorb it in the first place.” (The Wall Street Journal)
“Harford is right to say that statistics can be used to illuminate the world with clarity and precision. They can help remedy our human fallibilities.” (The New Yorker)
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What listeners say about The Data Detective
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M. Stork
- 2021-02-27
Nice liste
Harford is a skilled story teller and enjoyable narrator. It is well worth the money.
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- LeAnna Kolbuch
- 2021-10-16
engaging! helpful !
If you're on the fence well hop over it. with lots of stories and fantastic examples this book is excellent for understanding how to approach statistics. not to mention its great narration. this book is a great read for anyone.
seriously just read it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Darryl
- 2021-07-07
Redundant after his podcast
So much of the content is direct from his podcast that it’s frustrating to listen to. 1 sentence new, 2 previously heard. Also a bit pretentious. I do however recommend his podcast, ‘cautionary tales’.
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- Brett S
- 2021-02-14
We need more Tim Harford's
I've listened to Tim Harford for many years on the More or Less podcast, as well as Cautionary Tales. Tim is a gifted communicator, his voice is calm, he explains things clearly, and gives interesting examples to help us understand. This audiobook is my first "book" from Tim Harford and I couldn't be more pleased. In a world of 'pundits' interested more in scoring points against their opponents, The Data Detective lets us take time to breathe and examine what makes for good statistics (or good arguments in general), versus the daily deluge of click-bait headlines and shock news stories. Tim Harford's performance is not surprisingly first rate and I will look for more of his books in the future!
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- Lexloco
- 2023-03-25
Required reading (listening) for all!
On occasion, there is a book that is a “must read” for everyone, regardless of their interests, political beliefs, educational level, or any other world views. This is such a book. Do yourself – and the rest of humanity - a favor, and read/listen to this book at least once.
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- A.O
- 2022-07-02
Slow Start to Amazing Endings
As noted in the subject line. The last two to three chapters were phenomenal but you do need the background context from the concepts covered prior to then.
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- Jeff Butler
- 2021-08-16
Boring
lost interest after the first couple chapters. it just seemed to drag on with no purpose. feel like I wasted a credit.
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- T
- 2021-06-17
The kind of book the world needs right now.
What is truth? How do do look at all of the information that is coming out way and make sense of it?
When there is so much seemingly conflicting information that is being shared with us on a daily basis how do you decide what information is leading, or misleading? The Data Detective provides 10 simple guidelines that we can all use to ask the right questions and parse the reporting that we have been given down to what it actually means.
I also like that this book isn't particularly politically leaning. In a world that is so partisan right now, it allows everyone to be able to be curious and learn about ways that we can understand the world around us better. I can not recommend this book enough.
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- Christopher D Davison
- 2021-05-09
Harford delivers what humankind needs
Tim Hartford is a triple threat; he is intelligent, engaging, and witty. This book will appeal to curious minds everywhere and explain to them that some of the pitfalls of interpreting statistics are avoidable with a bit of honest humility and effort. Maybe most importantly, since we are currently in the grips of public health crisis, the timing of this book is impeccable.
The enduring message of his 10 rules, and the stories that explain them, is that we shouldn't just throw up our hands and assume that statistics are simply the tools of fake news because they can be manipulated or misinterpreted in the wrong hands. Instead we should embrace statistics and dig deeper to understand them as a valuable window to the truth.
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