Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsMore than Economics, it's a One-of-a-Kind Self-Help Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2007
Reviewers dismissing "Discover Your Inner Economist" as another "Freakonomics Clone" (Aug. 3 WSJ, for example) fail to recognize what distinguishes Tyler Cowen's book from the rest. While the top priority of other so-called "Pop Economics" writers is to prove that economics can relate to the real world, Cowen's greatest priority is helping his readers, and economics is one mean to this end. Applying economics can be more art than science, he explains. Study of this art is generally lacking in the economics profession, and Cowen uses a variety of sources to fill this void. The end result is a practical, insightful, and often hilarious self-help book that utilizes the full power of economic reasoning and also teaches readers how to cope with its limits.
The book is also distinguished in the breadth of fulfilling topics it covers. While Freakonomics mostly details academic papers of Steven Levitt unlikely to improve one's daily life, Cowen never constrains himself to his own research. You will not find a single academic paper written by Cowen in the book's references, though plenty of mentions for his blog Marginal Revolution. He respects a wide range of sources, whether they be academics, journalists, or other bloggers. His prose jumps quickly and often abruptly between topics, but this freer style allows him to efficiently expose the reader to a wide variety of ideas. At times the academic in me screamed for more rigor in some of his arguments, but ultimately I feel the book was better off as written. The book provides only the detail necessary to make a point, and this allows for 221 pages of light and invigorating reading.
By producing such a variety of advice, Cowen ensures some reader disagreement, but the book is better for it. No one buys Chicken Soup for the Soul expecting every single anecdote to be life-changing, and this book needs to be approached the same way -- and unlike most other self-help books, this one is always entertaining. My impression is that if readers ignore or forget 99% of the book's specific advice a month after they've read it, the lifelong benefits of a few tips can be worth the price. And for readers that learn to apply Cowen's thinking throughout their daily lives, this book becomes a cornucopia.
I expect readers will respond most favorably to Cowen's sections on art and food, as these are where he shows the most passion and relies the most on his personal experience. His arguments for broadening horizons -- becoming a "cultural billionaire" in his words -- are the most convincing. The chapter on self-deception made me feel much better about myself, as I feel I utilize "necessary" self-deception and avoid "dangerous" self-deception. (Or is this feeling another example of my self-deception?) I anticipate readers will differ widely in which advice affects them the most. The only way to find out is to read the book yourself.
