Analysis Of 'Think Like A Freak'

In their third book, Think Like A Freak, authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner are back with their unorthodox writing style to divulge the secrets to “thinking like a freak”. Levitt and Dubner, authors of the international best sellers Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, have developed a new paperback toolkit towards thinking differently in order to solve ones problems. The secrets to “thinking like a freak” are reveled by distinctive themes inside creative anecdotes that challenge the norms of problem solving and generate innovative perspectives of living everyday life. Throughout the book there are key messages that help guide the reader to changing their views of life, way of thinking, and overall problem-solving strategies. Many of
The first idea is taken from the chapter titled “The three hardest words in the English language”, in which Levitt and Dubner discuss the importance of admitting the three hardest words in the English language; I don’t know. The argument is that admitting you don’t know something is the first step to learning first hand. Admitting that you don’t know causes one to be humble by accepting the fact that they don’t have all the answers, thus motivating them into finding and creating solutions. Coming into the army as a 2nd LT presents a challenge to new officers because they don’t know everything about their job and they must learn on a steep learning curve. One cannot be afraid to admit they don’t know and accept the guidance from others to find the answer or to create their own solution. This admittance also will help one avoid the embarrassment of being wrong about an issue. This phenomenon is often caused by ultracrepidarianism, or the habit to give advice outside of ones knowledge domain. The benefits of admitting you don’t know and accepting help early on greatly out ways the consequences of a bad decision based off of false
In the chapter titled “The upside of quitting” the authors describe the top three reasons people avoid quitting. The number one reason why people don’t quit things is because they see it as a sign of weakness when in reality it can be the ultimate sign of strength. This idea is important to me because I was always taught to never quit no matter what the cost. Understanding the prudent risks in a mission or any situation is the key to knowing when to quit. When the risks become higher than the rewards it is more beneficial to quit than to risk continuing. Making the decision to quit when the risks become unnecessary can show vast moral and mental strength as well as maturity. This will come in to play everyday as a new Army officer as every decision I make will have prudent risks. Understanding when to quit is crucial for new officers because it could mean the difference between a soldier’s life and death. In conclusion, Think Like A Freak, written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner is a challenge on the conventional world and the traditional ways we tend to solve our problems. In writing this book both Levitt and Dubner succeed in taking away our comfortable perspectives and show what thinking outside the box can do to improve a situation. The knowledge taken from this book is crucial to the development of our future leaders because one must foster a new schema of thinking and problem solving