Why read The Wisdom of Crowds?

Book cover of The Wisdom of Crowds

Book description

In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant—better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.

With boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose,…

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Business

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Wisdom of Crowds as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Alan Gregerman

Author

I love this book because it suggests that while we may not know the best answer as individuals there is “wisdom” in what large numbers of people think. That large numbers of people make better decisions than smaller numbers.

I don’t always agree with this, but I do think for many things we shouldn’t spend a lot of time working on them without putting them into the world and seeing how others respond.

From Alan's list on unlocking your curiosity and awesomeness.

Ken Greenberg

Author

When I started my career in urban design, I was finding great success in bringing diverse groups around the table to develop ideas and find breakthrough solutions. James Surowieki’s book helped me to understand why this worked, offering compelling examples. And why, under the right circumstances, diverse groups—across different backgrounds, skills, and experiences—can often make better decisions than individual experts.

His insights had huge implications for me in dealing with cities, where the collective input of stakeholders can shape better urban outcomes. It reinforced my confidence in inclusive urban planning, participatory governance, and bottom-up approaches as a way to achieve…

From Ken's list on helped me understand cities.