Being Wrong

Adventures in the Margin of Error

By: Kathryn Schulz

Narrated by: Mia Barron

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

To err is human. Yet most of us go through life assuming (and sometimes insisting) that we are right about nearly everything, from the origins of the universe to how to load the dishwasher. If being wrong is so natural, why are we all so bad at imagining that our beliefs could be mistaken, and why do we react to our errors with surprise, denial, defensiveness, and shame?

In Being Wrong, journalist Kathryn Schulz explores why we find it so gratifying to be right and so maddening to be mistaken, and how this attitude toward error corrodes relationships—whether between family members, colleagues, neighbors, or nations. Along the way, she takes us on a fascinating tour of human fallibility, from wrongful convictions to no-fault divorce; medical mistakes to misadventures at sea; failed prophecies to false memories; "I told you so!" to "Mistakes were made."

Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Darwin, Freud, Gertrude Stein, Alan Greenspan, and Groucho Marx, she proposes a new way of looking at wrongness. In this view, error is both a given and a gift—one that can transform our worldviews, our relationships, and, most profoundly, ourselves.

In the end, Being Wrong is not just an account of human error but a tribute to human creativity—the way we generate and revise our beliefs about ourselves and the world. At a moment when economic, political, and religious dogmatism increasingly divide us, Schulz explores with uncommon humor and eloquence the seduction of certainty and the crises occasioned by error. A brilliant debut from a new voice in nonfiction, this book calls on us to ask one of life's most challenging questions: what if I'm wrong?

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Kathryn Schulz (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

“Engrossing.... In the spirit of Blink and Predictably Irrational (but with a large helping of erudition)... Schulz writes with such lucidity and wit that her philosophical enquiry becomes a page-turner.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Great writing

Wonderful book! Very well written, insightful, and fun to listen to. Why is there a 15 word minimum on reviews ffs.

Interesting concept

The idea for this book is very interesting, but the execution is lacking. Examples are poor, logic is circular, it was repetitive at times.

Oh, the narrator’s performance grated on me to the point that I had to stop listening. She came across as condescending and I don’t believe that is the intended tone of the author at all.

Excellent, Thought Provoking, and For Everyone

Any additional comments?

I think this is a very good book on an important topic. The book made me more thoughtful about my fallibility.

One thing I really liked about this book is that I could learn a lot of new things in various areas like Psychology, Philosophy, Science, History etc in addition to the main points of the book. I think I am a better person after listening to this book and I hope that I can apply the things I learned in this book for a better life.

On a final note, I think this book can be a value addition to everyone. It has in great detail the author's perspective on human fallibility and how its benefits can be unleashed.

If you ever wondered why you were wrong

Insightful examination of how we are wrong and how we react to our wrongness.

Who me? Wrong?

It’s always good to be reminded. But there’s far more to being wrong that we can all learn from this excellent book.

Good to read - new insights

Nice reading, good content and new insights. Examples are also good.
Inspiring and close to the reality.
Good to read.

Very Thought Provoking

i had absolutely no complaints about the narration, it doesn't detract from the book or message at all.
The rest of the book, the actual content, was pretty insightful as well. A decent mix of anecdotal evidence, common sense, and research. i found the author to be occasionally a little wordy, but maybe she would have been repetitive if she hadn't been wordy (or maybe i'm just stupid and don't like new words). The organization and progression of the book was pretty good although there were a few times i found myself tuning out what seemed like random tangents. There were also a few sections that really struck me powerfully - stories that i could relate to very personally. i thought the author provided a great deal of interesting information and also implied encouragement to accept and recognize how often and easily we can be wrong. This could be me, but there were just a couple of places where it seemed like the author was taking a condescending attitude toward religion. i was puzzled by this, but it could've just been me reading that into it. All in all it didn't really detract from the many other excellent points that were addressed. Overall a pretty good book, i'd recommend it.

Great buildup of a thesis

I didn't realize how important being wrong was. This book gave me a deeper appreciation of the human condition.

a staple for any library

Excellent in every way, well-researched, comprehensive, full of errors, and rightly so. I will listen to this book again and again.

Being Human

I love this thoughtful, intelligent book that recognizes the adventures in being human and the beauty of life.
Great book.