Thinking books · Critical thinking · Rolf Dobelli, 2011
The Art of Thinking Clearly — the big ideas
Ninety-nine short chapters, each on one recurring reasoning error.
Free — no account needed to read
The big ideas
Survivorship bias gets the clearest treatment: you see the successes because the failures are not around to be counted, which distorts almost every lesson drawn from examples.
The sunk cost trap — continuing because of what has already been spent — is treated as the single most expensive everyday error, and the only relevant question is always what happens from here.
Its format is the point: short, self-contained, designed to be recognised in the moment rather than understood in theory.
Practise it — no need to have read it
Find a success story that has influenced a decision of yours. Ask how many people tried the same thing, and where they are now.
A hint: If you cannot find out, that is itself the answer about how much the story should weigh.
Where it shows up in real life
- Investment decisions
- Career advice from successful people
- Continuing a project
Described in our own words with the source named — never quoted, and not a substitute for reading the book.
Thinking methods from this book
- The six-question claim check — A fixed pass over any claim before you act on it.
The thinking it builds
- Critical Thinking — Evaluate claims and evidence