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The Wisdom Of Crowds
Why The Many Are Smarter Than The Few And How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies And Nations
by James Surowiecki


7.2

based on 14 reviews
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based on 5 votes
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Official Publisher Site

New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki offers an appealingly simple if somewhat counterintuitive thesis: that 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. Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, economic behaviorism, artificial intelligence, military history and political theory to show just how this principle operates in the real world. [Doubleday]

Doubleday, 320 pages
05/25/2004
$24.95

ISBN: 0385503865

Nonfiction
Business & Professional
Current Events & Politics
Social Sciences

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Kirkus Reviews

There is some individual, independent wisdom to be found here.

Library Journal Lucy Heckman

This work is an intriguing study of collective intelligence and how it works in contemporary society. [1 Apr 2004, p.105]

London Review Of Books David Runciman

The first half of this book, in which Surowiecki itemises the dangers of supposing that it is always best to listen to the smartest person in the room, is electrifying... But the second half of the book, in which Surowiecki applies these lessons to a series of case studies, is a bit of a disappointment.

Publishers Weekly

Surowiecki's style is pleasantly informal, a tactical disguise for what might otherwise be rather dense material.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Nigel Waters

There is much that anyone working for any sort of organization can learn from this book.

The Guardian Richard Adams

[An] intelligent book.

The New York Times Book Review Scott McLemee

The author has a knack for translating the most algebraic of research papers into bright expository prose -- though the swarm of anecdotes at times makes it difficult to follow the progress of his argument.

The Onion A.V. Club Donna Bowman

Each chapter assembles a concise, up-to-date treatise on the essential problems facing decision-makers and collaborators.

Washington Post Eric Klinenberg

Both intellectually challenging and a pleasure to read. And yet Surowiecki's case for the crowd is ultimately unpersuasive.

Christian Science Monitor John Freeman

Not just revolutionary but essential reading for everyone.

The New Republic Cass R. Sunstein

The performance of groups is a wonderful subject, and Surowiecki has a remarkable eye for the telling anecdote, illustrating abstract claims with vivid examples. His central point is convincing.... But there is a serious problem with Surowiecki's discussion: he does not provide an adequate account of the circumstances that make crowds wise or stupid.

San Francisco Chronicle Jeremy Adam Smith

But while "The Wisdom of Crowds" is on firm ground when describing group processes with quantifiable outcomes, it is weak when treading into the moral and political dimensions of its topic, as well as the quality of outcomes.

Daily Telegraph Edward Skidelsky

It betrays its origin as a series of New Yorker columns, leaping from fact to fact and never sustaining a coherent argument for more than 20 pages.

The Spectator Mark Archer

The weakness of Surowiecki's rambling book (it would have worked better as a short essay in the New Yorker) is that he tries to turn a statistical truism into a sociological phenomenon.

The average user rating for this book is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve W gave it a6:
the first half is filled with insightful background into the mechanics of "wisdom of crowds", but the second half - devoted entirely to case studies - is too anecdotal and unattached to the earlier theory. Would've been better if the author tied experience with theory more closely together.

jeff d gave it a10:
Great book!

Brett R. gave it a4:
The author makes his point in an entertaining and easy-to-read fashion, but ultimately does not prove it. He does know how to distinguish between studies whose results are actually statistically significant, and those who simply conclude a premise that is convenient for him to use. The book is rambling and repetetive, taking pages and pages to make a point for which only a paragraph is necessary. The entire idea should have remained a newspaper article, at most.

Jim N gave it an8:
Is easy to say I've been reading better books such as "Bowling Alone" about social trends and social intercourse but Surowiecki is well worth reading. Good on'ya. This book is our book-of-the-month for our reading club.

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The Wisdom Of Crowds Why The Many Are Smarter Than The Few And How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies And Nations by James Surowiecki

The Wisdom Of Crowds
Why The Many Are Smarter Than The Few And How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies And Nations
by James Surowiecki