The Undoing Project

Best-selling author Michael Lewis examines how a Nobel Prize-winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.
Forty years ago Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original studies undoing our assumptions about the decision-making process. Their papers showed the ways in which the human mind erred systematically when forced to make judgments about uncertain situations. Their work created the field of behavioral economics, revolutionized Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made much of Michael Lewis' own work possible. Kahneman and Tversky are more responsible than anybody for the powerful trend to mistrust human intuition and defer to algorithms.
The Undoing Project is about the fascinating collaboration between two men who have the dimensions of great literary figures. They became heroes in the university and on the battlefield - both had important careers in the Israeli military - and their research was deeply linked to their extraordinary life experiences. In the process they may well have changed for good mankind's view of its own mind.

Editors Select, December 2016 - My team knows that I have some very obvious "author crushes" - as in, whenever I hear that one of said authors is coming out with a new release, I jump on the opportunity to listen to their book as soon as possible. Michael Lewis is one of these people. He's known for his accessible and incredibly interesting "backstage pass looks" into the inner workings of a particular industry - in my current favorites, Flash Boys and Liars' Poker, it's the world of finance - and in The Undoing Project (which is gunning for a top spot on my Michael Lewis list) it's behavioral economics...partially. It's about a friendship that completely revolutionized what is known as "Big Data" and increased the use and reliability of algorithms. Dennis Boutsikaris, with his clear and knowing voice, does an incredible job of highlighting the conversational tone Michael Lewis is known for. —Laura, Audible Editor