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Il Pensiero Obliquo (2011)

by John Kay(Favorite Author)

3.53 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Codice Edizioni

review 1: I enjoyed this book, but it is a bit of a one trick wonder and it could probably have been much shorter. Having said that it would not be a book then but just an essay - but it could have been a 5 star essay. I found the main ideas, that goals are best achieved indirectly, to be interesting - and some of the examples are almost persuasive. But I can equally come up with many examples of people who have relentlessly and directly pursued their goals and achieved them quickly. However, that is not to say the thinking is without merit - it is the sort of thing to ponder for some time. It is one of those - well isn't the world more complex that simplistic theories suggest sort of books - and that is an idea I generally support.
review 2: After reading Nate Silver's ... more"The Signal and the Noise" and Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow," John Kay's "Obliquity" is a requisite counterbalance.I did not give more stars because I set the standard extremely high for Mr. Kay. His articles in the Financial Times are almost always path breaking. I try never to miss one of his articles as I invariably learn something entirely new; he jars me away from long-held assumptions and prompts me to question basic beliefs about the role of government, markets and economic theory.This book had the same effect, but I think it relied at times too heavily on anecdotal data. Nonetheless, as my most recent personal endeavor involves the creation of a new city, it was the perfect time for me to put my own personal arrogance and foolishness to the test with this illuminating book by a brilliant mind. less

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