The Power of Logical Thinking: Easy Lessons in the Art of Reasoning...and Hard Facts About Its Absence in Our Lives

Rating:
Summary: A logical book written illogically
Review: There was a time when I thought the book was a worthwhile buy: it was the time Marilyn decided to explain the Monty Hall problem instead of berate her readers for their ignorance. After that, there was no point in reading further. The only theme in Marilyn's book is that she is five times smarter -- and ten times more conceited -- than the readers of Parade magazine. The arrogant tone begins to grate on one's nerves after reading the first chapter. I was looking for a lesson book on logic. Instead, I found a how-to manual on condescension. But she finally gets her comeuppance in the chapter covering economics and politics -- two topics that go ill together. For example, she misunderstands incentives and the limits of economic measures when it comes to taxes. In 1986, the government raised capital gains taxes to the same level as income taxes, and -- lo and behold -- tax receipts from capital went down. Marilyn concludes that government has driven people out stocks and real estate. What really happened, however, was that rich people decided to cash in their stock options in 1986 -- before the higher tax rates went up -- in order to avoid taxes the next year. Rich people get paid in many different ways and they will pick the tax-favored way if it's available. Government spending brings in some other howlers. Although Reagan gets the blame much of the budget deficits of the 1980's, Marilyn correctly points out that Congress was in the hands of Democrats the whole time. What she doesn't mention is that Congress had less spending on its budget than the President had on his; therefore, Congress was restraining government spending -- a conclusion Marilyn, no doubt, would have reached if she had bothered scratch the surface of political propaganda. As you may have guessed, I didn't like the book. And I wouldn't recommend giving the book to someone you like.

Rating:
Summary: FUN BOOK!
Review: This is really two books, one about the "Monty Hall" problem, and another one all about politics, campaign promises, and other ways the popular press gets it wrong. Is there a tie between the two? Yes. This could have been an excellent tome on how our emotions and our "wants" and our intuition often leads us astray, and how advertising, entertainment, and politics capitalizes on that. But somehow there is little connection between the two. I didn't find Vos Savant's ego to be the main theme of this book, in fact, she downplays herself many times. But other books, by authors like Sagan, Randi, Shick, Dawkins, and Shermer, cover this ground better.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, although not cohesive, intro to statistics
Review: This is really two books, one about the "Monty Hall" problem, and another one all about politics, campaign promises, and other ways the popular press gets it wrong. Is there a tie between the two? Yes. This could have been an excellent tome on how our emotions and our "wants" and our intuition often leads us astray, and how advertising, entertainment, and politics capitalizes on that. But somehow there is little connection between the two. I didn't find Vos Savant's ego to be the main theme of this book, in fact, she downplays herself many times. But other books, by authors like Sagan, Randi, Shick, Dawkins, and Shermer, cover this ground better.