Summary

The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis tells the story of how the ideas and friendship of two Israeli academics – Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman – revolutionized the fields of psychology and economics.

In the Introduction, Lewis discusses the cultural impact of one of his earlier books, Moneyball, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and their use of statistical analysis to improve decision making regarding the management of the team. Lewis reflects on the extent to which the ideas explored in Moneyball have become popular in different fields, but bemoans the fact that engagement with the ideas is often shallow. He recalls reading a review of Moneyball that criticized the book for being unaware of the ideas of two psychologists who had pioneered the field of decision making: Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. Hearing about their work and their lives, Lewis decided to tell their...