My reading summary

Freakonomics – Steven D. Levitt / Stephen J. Dubner

This book is about a different intrepretation of Economics . These authors try to present it in an unusual way : they give examples from the day-to-day life. By the way they interested themselves in employing some unusual topics.

Steven Levitt is a famous economist ( Although he is a less than 40 years old one ). He considers himself as marginal because he doesn't care about the usual ways to apply Economics ( Statistics, Markets and famous companies ). Levitt enjoys working on « bizarre » questions by using his economist's skills.
Stephen J. Dubner is a Journalist of the « N-Y Times Magazine », one of the most popular Newspaper / Magazine of the world. He managed to achieve this book with Levitt because he shares most of his opinions and appreciates it from an Economist.

« Freakonomcs » uses an amount of datas to draw a reflection about racial segregation, teachers from Chicago used to cheat as well as Sumo wrestlers, the declining criminality in the U.S during the 90's ( pretending it as linked to the abortion right ) and other considerations about the human global behaviour. The authors employed themselves to argue with numbers and facts so it is quite pleasant to discover their ideas and the way they defend it but most of the pleasure i had to read this book is due to the global research they did about their examples ( particularly concerning the ku kux klan and the portrait of examplary parents ).

The point I disapprove is that they both are nevertheless in a subjective approach : They claim unproved things as the inherited capcities of the intellect ( The N% ) . I am disturbed too by the way they consider everything as definited in a given direction without considering the human factor although their comparion between Drug-Dealers and a well-Know Fast-Food Chain seems as entertaining as relevant.

To conclude I would say that this book is a pleasant