Wild Problems

A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us

De: Russ Roberts

Narrado por: Mark Deakins

From the host of EconTalk, a guide to decision-making when you can't crunch the numbers

Algorithms and apps analyze data and tell you how to beat the traffic, what books to buy, what music to listen to, and even who to date—often with great results. But what do you do when you face the big decisions of life—the "wild problems" of who to marry, whether to have children, where to move, how to forge a life well-lived—that can’t be solved by measurement or calculation?

In Wild Problems, beloved host of EconTalk Russ Roberts offers puzzled rationalists a way to address these wild problems. He suggests spending less time and energy on the path that promises the most happiness, and more time on figuring out who you actually want to be. He draws on the experience of great artists, writers, and scientists of the past who found creative ways to navigate life’s biggest questions. And he lays out strategies for reducing the fear and the loss of control that inevitably come when a wild problem requires a leap in the dark.

Ultimately, Roberts asks us to see ourselves and our lives less as a problem to be solved than a mystery to be experienced. There's no right decision waiting to be uncovered by an app or rational analysis. Reality is harder than that and, perhaps, a little more interesting.

©2022 Russell Roberts (P)2022 Penguin Audio

This guy

Russ Robert's podcast is a favorite. His books are icing on the cake. I hope you enjoy ALL of his works as much as I do.

The book besides all else is plainly put: true and wise

I enjoyed this book so much!

A true book with explicit wisdom that let’s no doubt as to how to engage within a life of uncertainty!

Thanks so much maestro Russ Roberts.

Light and interesting

Expected something deeper but takes a simple idea and tells a lot of interesting stories to back it up.

Great book. Wish it were read by the author.

I really enjoyed this thoughtful book. The only thing that would have been veered is to have the author read it.

A reminder on how to live a good life

The poem in the end is the best part. Highly recommend! This is the book that I would gift a friend.

Worth the time

This was the book I wished to read when 18 years old but it’s never late to read it

Great book!

Russ Roberts doesn’t disappoint. This book contains applications for the challenging problems in life that don’t have straightforward answers.

Just the notion of Wild Problem vs Tame Problem is clarifying

It helped me embrace the fact that some tough and interesting life choices won't be clear cut like engineering problems that could be solved with more data and the right algorithm.

Fantastic insights into how to make decisions

I consider myself a pretty rational and reasonable person. This book open my eyes to the fact that sometimes seemly irrational decisions are the way to go.

Highly recommend this book if you want to feel better about the decisions you make, and have some comfort in the fact that there is no perfect decision

More engaging than I expected

At the beginning it was a little unsure, but as the book progressed, it became philosophically more interesting.