Summary

After having great success with their books, “Freakonomics” and “Super-Freakonomics,” the authors were beset with a deluge of questions. They ranged from questions about what makes people happy to the pros and cons of breast-feeding to a poser about what happened to the carpal tunnel syndrome epidemic. People thought they could answer every question or solve every problem imaginable. It takes a lot of time and effort to solve problems and answer questions responsibly. If a problem is persistent, it’s because the resolution is difficult to determine. Rather than trying to solve all problems, the authors thought it best to write a book to teach everyone to think like they do – like a Freak.

The belief that there is a right way and a wrong way to solve problems leads to a lot of...