Wild Problems

by Russ Roberts

Rating: 8/10

Read in January 2024

Life is made up of decisions. Most of these decisions can be evaluated using ordinary decision making frameworks using specific optimization functions.

But some of these decisions - like deciding where to live, who to marry, and what to do with your life - force you to make life-defining choices with incomplete information to questions with no obvious answers.

This book is about how to deal with these "wild problems." It offers great counter-intuitive frameworks on how to make these decisions and what to optimize for to maximize flourishing.

I read it after making a big decision in my life, and all the advice resonated in hindsight. I wish I had read it sooner so I could have made the decision with more confidence.

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