-
Blunder
- Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions
- Narrated by: Zachary Shore, Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Categories: Business & Careers, Career Success
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Kill Chain
- Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
- By: Christian Brose
- Narrated by: Christian Brose
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think about the future of war, the military and Washington and most everyone gets it backwards. We think in terms of buying single military systems, such as fighter jets or aircraft carriers. And when we think about modernizing those systems, we think about buying better versions of the same things. But what really matters is not the single system but "the battle network" - the collection of sensors and shooters that enables a military to find an enemy system, target it, and attack it.
-
-
important message but repetitive
- By Tomas Singliar on 06-06-20
By: Christian Brose
-
Battlegrounds
- The Fight to Defend the Free World
- By: H. R. McMaster
- Narrated by: H. R. McMaster
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Lt. General H.R. McMaster, US Army, ret., the former national security advisor and author of the best-selling classic Dereliction of Duty, comes a bold and provocative re-examination of the most critical foreign policy and national security challenges that face the United States, and an urgent call to compete to preserve America’s standing and security.
-
-
Every American should read
- By Traveler on 09-23-20
By: H. R. McMaster
-
First Principles
- What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and number one New York Times best-selling author offers a revelatory new book about the founding fathers, examining their educations and, in particular, their devotion to the ancient Greek and Roman classics - and how that influence would shape their ideals and the new American nation.
-
-
An important work on who we were and who we are.
- By Louis Macareo on 12-20-20
By: Thomas E. Ricks
-
Who Killed Homer?
- The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
- By: Victor Davis Hanson, John Heath
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For over two millennia in the West, familiarity with the literature, philosophy, and values of the Classical World has been synonymous with education itself. The traditions of the Greeks explain why Western Culture’s unique tenets of democracy, capitalism, civil liberty, and constitutional government are now sweeping the globe. Yet the general public in America knows less about its cultural origins than ever before, as Classical education rapidly disappears from our high school and university curricula.
-
-
Perfect
- By B on 06-11-16
By: Victor Davis Hanson, and others
-
The Savior Generals
- How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost - From Ancient Greece to Iraq
- By: Victor Davis Hanson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prominent military historian Victor Davis Hanson explores the nature of leadership with his usual depth and vivid prose in The Savior Generals, a set of brilliantly executed pocket biographies of five generals (Themistocles, Belisarius, William Tecumseh Sherman, Matthew Ridgway, and David Petraeus) who single-handedly saved their nations from defeat in war. War is rarely a predictable enterprise - it is a mess of luck, chance, and incalculable variables. Today's sure winner can easily become tomorrow's doomed loser.
-
-
A good history book tells about human nature.
- By Doruk Denkel on 03-03-20
-
Disunited Nations
- The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World
- By: Peter Zeihan
- Narrated by: Peter Zeihan, Roy Worley
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Disunited Nations, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan presents a series of counterintuitive arguments about the future of a world where trade agreements are coming apart and international institutions are losing their power. Germany will decline as the most powerful country in Europe, with France taking its place. Every country should prepare for the collapse of China, not North Korea. We are already seeing, as Zeihan predicts, a shift in outlook on the Middle East: it is no longer Iran that is the region’s most dangerous threat, but Saudi Arabia.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rich on 03-04-20
By: Peter Zeihan
-
The Kill Chain
- Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
- By: Christian Brose
- Narrated by: Christian Brose
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think about the future of war, the military and Washington and most everyone gets it backwards. We think in terms of buying single military systems, such as fighter jets or aircraft carriers. And when we think about modernizing those systems, we think about buying better versions of the same things. But what really matters is not the single system but "the battle network" - the collection of sensors and shooters that enables a military to find an enemy system, target it, and attack it.
-
-
important message but repetitive
- By Tomas Singliar on 06-06-20
By: Christian Brose
-
Battlegrounds
- The Fight to Defend the Free World
- By: H. R. McMaster
- Narrated by: H. R. McMaster
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Lt. General H.R. McMaster, US Army, ret., the former national security advisor and author of the best-selling classic Dereliction of Duty, comes a bold and provocative re-examination of the most critical foreign policy and national security challenges that face the United States, and an urgent call to compete to preserve America’s standing and security.
-
-
Every American should read
- By Traveler on 09-23-20
By: H. R. McMaster
-
First Principles
- What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and number one New York Times best-selling author offers a revelatory new book about the founding fathers, examining their educations and, in particular, their devotion to the ancient Greek and Roman classics - and how that influence would shape their ideals and the new American nation.
-
-
An important work on who we were and who we are.
- By Louis Macareo on 12-20-20
By: Thomas E. Ricks
-
Who Killed Homer?
- The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
- By: Victor Davis Hanson, John Heath
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For over two millennia in the West, familiarity with the literature, philosophy, and values of the Classical World has been synonymous with education itself. The traditions of the Greeks explain why Western Culture’s unique tenets of democracy, capitalism, civil liberty, and constitutional government are now sweeping the globe. Yet the general public in America knows less about its cultural origins than ever before, as Classical education rapidly disappears from our high school and university curricula.
-
-
Perfect
- By B on 06-11-16
By: Victor Davis Hanson, and others
-
The Savior Generals
- How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost - From Ancient Greece to Iraq
- By: Victor Davis Hanson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prominent military historian Victor Davis Hanson explores the nature of leadership with his usual depth and vivid prose in The Savior Generals, a set of brilliantly executed pocket biographies of five generals (Themistocles, Belisarius, William Tecumseh Sherman, Matthew Ridgway, and David Petraeus) who single-handedly saved their nations from defeat in war. War is rarely a predictable enterprise - it is a mess of luck, chance, and incalculable variables. Today's sure winner can easily become tomorrow's doomed loser.
-
-
A good history book tells about human nature.
- By Doruk Denkel on 03-03-20
-
Disunited Nations
- The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World
- By: Peter Zeihan
- Narrated by: Peter Zeihan, Roy Worley
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Disunited Nations, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan presents a series of counterintuitive arguments about the future of a world where trade agreements are coming apart and international institutions are losing their power. Germany will decline as the most powerful country in Europe, with France taking its place. Every country should prepare for the collapse of China, not North Korea. We are already seeing, as Zeihan predicts, a shift in outlook on the Middle East: it is no longer Iran that is the region’s most dangerous threat, but Saudi Arabia.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rich on 03-04-20
By: Peter Zeihan
-
Crashes and Crises: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters
- By: Connel Fullenkamp, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Connel Fullenkamp
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Connel Fullenkamp of Duke University guides listeners through four centuries of economic disasters - from tulip mania in the 1600s to the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Each of his 24 lectures covers a notable incident of financial misfortune or folly that is worthy of a Hollywood thriller.
-
-
BEST explainer out there hits a new high level
- By Philo on 09-22-18
By: Connel Fullenkamp, and others
-
Ghost Fleet
- A Novel of the Next World War
- By: P. W. Singer, August Cole
- Narrated by: Rich Orlow
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 2026. China has taken over as the world's largest economy, while the United States, mired in an oil shortage, struggles to adjust to its diminished role. Then, a surprise attack throws the US into a chaos unseen since Pearl Harbor. As the enemy takes control, the survival of the nation will depend upon the most unlikely forces: the Navy's antiquated Ghost Fleet and a cadre of homegrown terrorists.
-
-
An unusual war story
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-06-15
By: P. W. Singer, and others
-
Upstream
- The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
- By: Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Dan Heath
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Dan Heath examines how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from his innovative behavior research, as well as hundreds of new interviews with unconventional problem solvers. Most of us spend our days handling a deluge of pressing issues. We’re so accustomed to managing emergencies as they strike that we often don’t stop to think about how we could prevent crises before they happen. Why stop at treating the symptoms when you could develop a cure?
-
-
Excellent overview of the power of prevention
- By Michael on 03-08-20
By: Dan Heath
-
World Order
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Henry Kissinger has traveled the world, advised presidents, and been a close observer and participant in the central foreign policy events of our era. Now he offers his analysis of the twenty first century's ultimate challenge: how to build a shared international order in a world of divergent historic perspectives, violent conflict, proliferating technology, and ideological extremism.
-
-
More retrospective than future oriented
- By Scott on 10-23-14
By: Henry Kissinger
-
Why We Make Mistakes
- How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average
- By: Joseph T. Hallinan
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We forget our passwords. We pay too much to go to the gym. We think we'd be happier if we lived in California (we wouldn't), and we think we should stick with our first answer on tests (we shouldn't). Why do we make mistakes? And could we do a little better? We human beings have design flaws. Our eyes play tricks on us, our stories change in the retelling, and most of us are fairly sure we're way above average.
-
-
Not very informative
- By Paul on 06-16-11
-
Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Join the Army and See the Universe. That is the motto of The Third Space War, also known as The First Interstellar War, but most commonly as The Bug War. In one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial best sellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the universe - and into battle with the Terrain Mobile Infantry against mankind's most alarming enemy.
-
-
My favorite book ever
- By Michael on 06-28-06
-
A War Like No Other
- How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
- By: Victor Davis Hanson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hanson compellingly portrays the ways Athens and Sparta fought on land and sea, in city and countryside, and details their employment of the full scope of conventional and non-conventional tactics, from sieges to targeted assassinations, torture, and terrorism. He also assesses the crucial roles played by warriors such as Pericles and Lysander, artists, among them Aristophanes, and thinkers including Sophocles and Plato.
-
-
"A War Like No Other" is a Book Like No Other
- By Chris on 02-06-20
-
How the Earth Works
- By: Michael E. Wysession, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael E. Wysession
- Length: 24 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.
-
-
Excellent course
- By Doug B. on 05-23-19
By: Michael E. Wysession, and others
-
Hamilton
- The Revolution
- By: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
- Narrated by: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter, Mariska Hargitay
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject: the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap, and claims our country's origins for a diverse new generation.
-
-
Love the idea of the book, get it in print.
- By Adam Shields on 04-13-16
By: Lin-Manuel Miranda, and others
-
The Power of Moments
- Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
- By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While human lives are endlessly variable, our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can conjure more moments that matter. What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember 20 years later? What if a manager knew how to create an experience that would delight customers? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?
-
-
Surprisingly valuable
- By Robert Wagner on 12-14-17
By: Chip Heath, and others
-
Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers
- By: Andrew R. Wilson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Andrew R. Wilson
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Napoleon's revolutionary campaigns to the way insurgency, terrorism, and nuclear weaponry have defined the nature of warfare in the 21st century, the results of military strategy have changed the course of history. These 24 thought-provoking lectures give you an inside look at both the content and historical context of the world's greatest war strategists. From the triremes and hoplites of ancient Greece to the Special Forces in 21st-century Afghanistan, strategy is the process by which political objectives are translated into military action.
-
-
Great for new students and military professionals
- By Glen Sears on 12-13-16
By: Andrew R. Wilson, and others
-
The Federalist Papers (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hailed by Thomas Jefferson as "the best commentary on the principles of government which was ever written," The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 essays published by Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay from 1787 to 1788, as a means to persuade the public to ratify the Constitution of the United States. With nearly two-thirds of the essays written by Hamilton, this enduring classic is perfect for modern audiences passionate about his work or seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most important documents in US history.
-
-
Very Readable
- By George on 07-13-18
By: Alexander Hamilton, and others
Publisher's Summary
From colonialism to globalization, from gender wars to civil wars, or any circumstance for which our best solutions backfire, Shore demonstrates how rigid thinking can subtly lead us to undermine ourselves. In the process, he identifies seven "cognition traps" to avoid. These insidious yet unavoidable mind-sets include:
Drawing on examples from history, politics, business and economics, health care, even folk tales and popular culture, Shore illustrates the profound impact blunders can have. But he also emphasizes how understanding these seven simple cognition traps can help us all make wiser judgments in our daily lives.
For anyone whose best-laid plans have been foiled by faulty thinking, Blunder shines the penetrating spotlight of history on decision making and the patterns of thought that can lead us all astray.
More from the same
Author
What listeners say about Blunder
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Andy
- 07-11-09
helpful extension of the genre
Blunder is a net add to the whole "wisdom of crowds" discussion. What I liked most about this book was how Shore provided a handful of obscure but interesting examples of how decision makers'charateristics impacted their decisions. Intro by the author is solid. Narration is also solid.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joshua Kim
- 06-10-12
Critiquing "Blunder"
There is a section of my (virtual) bookshelf (stored on the Audible/Amazon cloud) that could be titled: "Why You Are an Idiot". When my spouse, kids, boss (or you) asks me how I can be so dumb so often, I can just point to these books.
My most recent addition is, Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions by Zachary Shore.
Blunder has its limitations (see below), but is a great addition to the oeuvre books on human failure. My favorite example of this genre is,Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz
Other books of this type that I've read in the past couple of years include:
The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons
Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and
Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average by Joseph T. Hallinan
My next book is,On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits by Wray Herbert
Any other "dumb us" books that you can recommend?
In Blunder, Zachary Shore (who has the cool sounding job of professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School), sets out 7 big reasons why we get things wrong.
The theme that runs through Blunder is that expertise and knowledge are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for making good decisions.
The 7 cognitive mistakes include:
Exposure Anxiety: Our predilection to project overconfidence as a response to fear or uncertainty, based mostly on our desire not to appear weak.
Infomania: Our tendency to hoard information for ourselves, or ignore information that we don't want to hear.
Static Cling: Our desire for constancy and stability in a changing world, which leaves us unable to grasp when things have changed.
Causefusion: Our propensity to confuse correlation with causation, and to inappropriately assign a narrative to explain unrelated events.
Flatview: Our inclination to see the world in black and white terms, rather than recognizing shades of gray.
Cure-allism: Our proclivity to try and solve diverse problems with a single solution.
Mirror Imaging: Our penchant to transfer out reactions and beliefs on others, thinking that everyone will react to events the way we would.
Shore is not interested in explaining the psychological, biological, or sociological roots of our blunders,. Rather, he gives examples of when people (in government or business) screw up, then tries to understand these errors through the framework of his 7 cognitive mistakes.
Perhaps we should run through the list of 7 each time we make a big decision, but I'm afraid we might end up not making any decisions or taking any actions at all.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- George Lober
- 09-04-09
A Gem for Critical Thinkers
For anyone interested in Critical Thinking and the traps faulty thinking can lead us into, this book is a must! Shore offers one of those rare gems of intellectual thought: a thoroughly accessible, clear, engagingly written work, supported with one compelling and illustrative anecdote or example after another from a variety of fields, including history, biology, psychology, economics, and literature. The result is a book that is not just enlightening in its analysis, but absolutely enjoyable to read.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Andrew
- 06-17-11
Pulls No Punches
A splendid introduction to the concept of cognition traps, into which we all inevitably fall, and which we all need to learn to avoid and recover from. Well read by the author, who clearly has the a passion for the subject.
Once caveat for the listener -- if you have any problem hearing candid analysis of what went/is going wrong in Vietnam, Iraq, or Afganistan, then this may potentially offend you. However, be advised that the author DOES teach to various staff of DoD and the US armed forces, so he does, in my opinion, present these without and deliberate biases.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric
- 02-07-11
Worth the listen, enlightening
Good book overall, a worthwhile look at the mental stumbling blocks that cause people to commit to counter-productive courses of action. I found the case he makes for each of his points interesting, and I was able to look at my own decision making in light of each of his points. I did find some of his made up words a little annoying, insisting on using "Cause-fusion" to refer to the confusion of causal relationships irritating, especially when it conjugated into other verb forms, "He was cause-fused..." I also found his example for the final chapter to be too mired in his own interests - as a blind person, he was clearly interested in the example of another blind person recovering part of his site, but the example ended up feeling somewhat contrived, and went on too long.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- SAMA
- 12-18-09
Finally, A Book Everyone Must Have
You have what it takes to shine, but sometimes find yourself falling flat? I thought I had to work extra hard and go through struggles to achieve my goals, until I got this book. I realized that altering my approaches just a little, with the concepts mentioned in this book in mind, helped me get ahead more.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Delano
- 02-02-10
Don't waste your time
I was expecting a book based on solid psychology research. Instead, it's a "historian" making obvious points, yet basing them on very little evidence. To make each point he goes on for about 20 minutes longer than necessary - it sounds like this book received no editing at all. And his use of historical examples is very simplistic to the point of being amateurish. Apparently he's really a professor, but I shudder to think that this is how students are being taught history. Please, choose any other book in this category instead.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Gaye Dennison
- 02-27-11
Only Human
Found this very interesting, smart people can make mistakes, but a wise person would learn from theirs.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Claire
- 11-15-19
Some interesting points but repetitive
There are some good points in this book - however they are emphasized so emphatically that they get repetitive and a bit annoying. Additionally the order of the book left me a bit confused/felt a bit disjointed. However, the narration was quite good and the author has clearly done his research. I really enjoyed the stories from history and the focus on the concept of "if we don't learn about the past we are doomed to repeat it". Understanding human error is definitely a worthy endeavour and this audiobook is a good introduction to the field for a non-expert.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Otis
- 04-06-12
Good points but stories are boring
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
More interesting events
What didn’t you like about Zachary Shore and Kevin Pariseau ’s performance?
Performance was Okay.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Truths
Any additional comments?
More modernized events to bring point home to the listner.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anon
- 03-24-16
Everyone needs to read or listen to this book
We live in a world where more and more people are educated however there is a distinct lack of wisdom in them. Their contribution to the wellbeing of the planet is questionable at times due to some of the cognition traps as described in this book. Could the world be a better place if we practiced more wisdom?