Deseret News | Review: 'SuperFreakonomics' as fun as predecessor

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Review: 'SuperFreakonomics' as fun as predecessor

The first book was also.... | 2:16 p.m. Nov. 8, 2009

...politically slanted and opinionated. For instance, they somehow came to the conclusion that the Democratic party would face difficulties in elections, due to abortion. (Somehow, irregardless that the information is NOT available, they determined that only Democrats would get abortions, thus meaning that fewer children would grow up Demoratic, and therefore the Republicans would gain more and more power).

Their books are clever, but they really fail to prove their point in most cases.

And in the case they're trying to make against global warming, they've brought out extreme viewpoints to make their case against science.

irondori | 3:43 p.m. Nov. 8, 2009

Hopefully book two has avoided the post hoc ergo hoc and circular reasoning that plagued book one. The authors consistently confuse correlation with causation. That's fine for the mass market I guess, but not for really smart, good looking people like me.

Entertainment, not science | 5:40 a.m. Nov. 9, 2009

Let's face it, the books are meant to be entertainment, not factual or scientific information to base policy upon. No true academic would ever cite the book in a peer-reviewed article.

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Flawed Premise | 10:11 a.m. Nov. 9, 2009

I agree with Irondori. Anyone who has formally studied both economics and statistics would know that correlation does not equal causation. The author’s first book was a stunning example of that, reaching flawed conclusions without even attempting to understand other reasons, or vaguely dismissing them with the equivalent of a "We just don't think that is possible" response. These books are easy-reading, trite studies without any substance.

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Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press

In an April 19, 2005 file photo, University of Chicago economics professor Steven Levitt poses with his book, "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything," in Chicago. Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner have released a follow-up book, "SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance".