---
product_id: 15102478
title: "How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking Paperback – May 26, 2015"
brand: "jordan ellenberg"
price: "₨643"
currency: SCR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 4
url: https://www.desertcart.sc/products/15102478-how-not-to-be-wrong-the-power-of-mathematical-thinking
store_origin: SC
region: Seychelles
---

# How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking Paperback – May 26, 2015

**Brand:** jordan ellenberg
**Price:** ₨643
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking Paperback – May 26, 2015 by jordan ellenberg
- **How much does it cost?** ₨643 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sc](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/15102478-how-not-to-be-wrong-the-power-of-mathematical-thinking)

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- jordan ellenberg enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Useful book to understand the mechanics of the world of humans
*by L***. on May 31, 2025*

Fundamental to understand the basics of what is happening around us. I am glad it happened to be in my library.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ breezy trip through how a little mathematical thinking can clear things up
*by M***T on April 28, 2019*

This is a book about mathematics but there is really very little mathematics in it. It is not about the history of mathematics either, though Dr. Ellenberg reaches throughout the book for some of the names and doings of that history to illustrate his themes. The theme is really the world, especially the social world, and how so much of what we experience is expressible mathematically, even if that expression comes not to a definite answer, but only a maybe or other equivocation. This is a book about getting us to think about the world's regularities and the claims of people in terms of the mathematics that can represent them. It turns out if you understand even the broad outlines of the mathematics you are in a much better position to analyze the claim or make the bet even if you do not (or cannot) actually DO the mathematics involved.A simple example tells the tale. We have all heard claims of the following sort: "the majority of Americans do not support X" (where X of course is just about anything at all of a social or political nature). Now it turns out that if you ask a whole lot of Americans three questions, questions about X, Y, and Z, and if roughly a third of the people asked are positive on one of the three and negative on the other two, it will turn out you can say with a straight face that a majority of Americans do not support X, Y, or Z, your choice, and you would be right! It is this sort of thing that "How Not to be Wrong" is really about. It is well written, not dry, enlightening (you will come away with a greater appreciation for mis-directed claims), and addresses much if not all of the social world we navigate daily.Enjoy

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Acquired Taste, So Don't Give Up Too Soon!
*by P***Z on June 27, 2014*

You'll start reading this book thinking there will be a lot of juicy math on odds vs. utility functions in decision theory, then toss it out in disgust when you find you're reading a snail-paced "lives of the Saints in Probability..."BUT IF you toss it, you'd be WRONG just like the book's title! Ok, I'm with George Box that all models are wrong but some are useful, so in all humility, even if our thinking is n-dimensional and nonlinear, our headlights still don't go out centuries, and the law of unintended consequences will inevitably rear it's fearsome head. So yes, I know I'm gunna be wrong more than right even reading this gem of a book.It gets FUN! As you read on, Jord gets into deeper and deeper math, and most significantly, starts to COMBINE stats, geometry, differential equations, etc. in eclectic, multi-disciplinary fields, which are much more like real life than academic exercises. It is not only math that has a new twist every hour these days, it is the combinations of fields (as in vocations and disciplines, not quantum fields) that is making math more and more relevant.I'm not one to discount the gut, heart, tradition or even intuition, but it really is enlightening to take a little more quant view at our normal evaluations of everyday spin. Yes, the author does have a bit of a left bent, but heck, those are just examples, and you'd have to be pretty emotion driven not to see how easily his logic applies to ANY "position." I see a LOT of tongue in cheek in this book and a LOT of both wonder and just plain great story telling-- please don't pass on this book if you're bright but not necessarily a policy wonk!I've been in school board meetings where one group or another wants to add social justice at the expense of STEM and math, and I just scratch my head. I've seen left proposals to take out intelligent design while adding Islam (??) and right proposals to remove Islam, Darwin and Linear Algebra to add family social values. Hmmm. The folks that criticize this author for being a little too green might consider that he is clearly for adding back a LOT more math in the curricula! Hey, I'm a geek, and only anti-geeks can argue with that! I guarantee that even if you are way right, but smart, you'll thoroughly enjoy this book, and it applies just as clearly to one cause or position as another, and tries to avoid being "dumb" about ANY linear thinking.I'm more into enjoying what you buy here than getting into politics, but because of some of Jordan's controversy, just thought I'd add my 2c that this is well worth reading regardless of your politics, as it is fun and smart. Just give it a chance, it gets better and better faster and faster-- second derivative + -- jounce, jolt, surge etc. stuff.;=) Enjoy...

## Frequently Bought Together

- How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking
- Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and EverythingElse
- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

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*Product available on Desertcart Seychelles*
*Store origin: SC*
*Last updated: 2026-02-01*