“The Undoing Project” picks up the dangling thread of the spectacle of human folly it revealed, documenting the mind meld between two Israeli psychologists that put the landscape of human error on the map, revolutionizing understanding of how in an uncertain world, our reach exceeds our grasp. “Moneyball” follows Beane as he exploits these blind spots for profit. But the story’s appeal lay partly in the inference that trading ballplayers was symptomatic, that other fields were ripe for similar “disruption.” Since then, moneyball has come to connote the application of quantitative principles to any number of endeavors considered the preserve of old-school human acumen, Lewis notes in his latest work, “The Undoing Project,” rattling off a list - traditionally artisanal moviemaking and publishing among them - in which such efforts are reportedly under way.īut as arresting as Beane’s audacious tactics for on-field success were, more startling still was the dysfunction “Moneyball” disclosed in professional baseball - its fixation with physique that led teams to consistently overlook paunchy prospects with superior stats, preoccupation with performance yardsticks that turn out to be whimsical and thralldom to the wisdom of the gut (supposedly an organ of exquisite discernment, but frequently.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |