The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational WorldLife sometimes seems illogical. Individuals do strange things: take drugs, have unprotected sex, mug each other. Love seems irrational, and so does divorce. On a larger scale, life seems no fairer or easier to fathom: Why do some neighborhoods thrive and others become ghettos? Why is racism so persistent? Why is your idiot boss paid a fortune for sitting behind a mahogany altar? Thorny questions–and you might be surprised to hear the answers coming from an economist. But award-winning journalist Tim Harford likes to spring surprises. In this deftly reasoned book, he argues that life is logical after all. Under the surface of everyday insanity, hidden incentives are at work, and Harford shows these incentives emerging in the most unlikely places. |
Contents
MSODJCHON | 3 |
TWO LAS VEGAS | 32 |
THREE IS DIVORCE UNDERRATED? | 62 |
FOUR VVFIY YOUR ROSS IS OVERPAID | 109 |
THE DANGERS OF RATIONAL RACISM | 130 |
SEVEN THE WORLD IS SPIKY | 149 |
EIGHT RATIONAL REVOLUTIONS | 174 |
NINE A MILLION YEARS OF LOGIC | 193 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 214 |
NOIhS | 235 |
Other editions - View all
The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World Tim Harford No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
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