Willful Blindness

Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril

By: Margaret Heffernan

Narrated by: Margaret Heffernan

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Margaret Heffernan argues that the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don't see - not because they're secret or invisible, but because we're willfully blind. A distinguished businesswoman and writer, she examines the phenomenon and traces its imprint in our private and working lives, and within governments and organizations, and asks: What makes us prefer ignorance? What are we so afraid of? Why do some people see more than others? And how can we change?

Covering everything from our choice of mates to the SEC, Bernard Madoff's investors, the embers of BP's refinery, the military in Afghanistan, and the dog-eat-dog world of subprime mortgage lenders, this provocative book demonstrates how failing to see - or to admit to ourselves or our colleagues - the issues and problems in plain sight can ruin private lives and bring down corporations.

Heffernan explains how willful blindness develops before exploring ways that institutions and individuals can combat it. In the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Margaret Heffernan's Willful Blindness is a tour de force on human behavior that will open your eyes.

©2011 Margaret Heffernan (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Heffernan] gives us an insightful look into the psychology of denial and makes an ethical and pragmatic argument for engagement rather than deflection. Heffernan's cogent, riveting look at how we behave at our worst encourages us to strive for our best." ( Publishers Weekly)

Eye Opening

This book is one I took few notes on because I found it more useful to simply listen. Margaret makes great points about human nature and the strength we have that we don't choose to utilize. Very inspiring!

Amazing and insightful book!

I loved how useful and applicable this book is for any age! Great and empowering read!

Absolutely Brilliant!!!

You might possibly be 'blind' if you don't love the insight of "The elephant in the room".

much needed analysis

I appreciated this succinct summary of a whole range of situations in which we should be more aware of the willful blindness at play. I find a lot of parallels to what's going on in the USA right now with Trumpism.

Margaret reads this very well, and I felt engaged throughout.

A book everyone should read

This is an excellent book full of interesting, useful and indeed essential information (e.g. on the unreliability of eye witnesses who are confident and in good faith). I recommend it to all. It is stimulating and significant, and entertaining as well. It is also good in this case to hear the author reading (although this is not always so: some authors' voices don't come across well, e.g. Malcolm Gladwell).

A must read...for all.

Loved it... was a hard read - but much easier to hear and absorb. Incredible content.

Great for Leaders

This book helps to explain why we ignore the obvious. Includes lots of great examples and emphasizes the importance of critical thinking.

Amazing!! We should all read this.

This book covers a wide gamut of history - medicine, the financial world, capitalistic culture, the culture of abuse, education, the church, neuroscience, plain old human nature and how it can really get us in trouble!
The book itself is fascinating and crucial and the author’s reading is absolutely compelling!

Read it With a Healthy Dose of Skepticism

While the information Ms. Heffernan presents is certainly informative, she has an uncanny knack for presenting only one side of any given story. And this book is rich in stories of willful blindness that encompass all aspects of life. Unfortunately, each story is also coupled with a tone of righteous indignation that is heavy-handed and sometimes even oppressive. This indignation may not come across in print but she made the unfortunate choice to narrate her own book, so it is unavoidable in the audio version. Perhaps all of that is due her own willful blindness.

Shortcomings aside, this is still an excellent study of human nature. If you read it with a healthy dose of skepticism, you can receive intriguing insights, along with a desire to get all of the pieces she willfully chose to remove from each story.

Everyone Should Read This Book!

This book contains many organized thoughts explaining the faults of human thought and how one may avoid such faults. Everyone should read this book in order to improve one's understanding of the world around them and what happens in it. I TRY TO SUGGEST THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE I KNOW.