Fluke – 9781399804530

Description

An Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far 2024

A Waterstones Best Book of 2024

One of Prospect‘s Top Thinkers 2024

‘Utterly engrossing . . . Ambitious, accessible and important‘ James O’Brien

‘Consistently gripping – dazzling in its sweep and thrillingly brain-twisting in its arguments’ Tom Holland

A provocative new vision of how our world really works – and why chance determines everything.

In Fluke, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas deep-dives into the phenomenon of randomness, unpicking our neat and tidy storybook version of events to reveal a reality far wilder and more fascinating than we have dared to consider. The bewildering truth is that but for a few incidental changes, our lives – and our societies – would be radically different.

Offering an entirely new perspective, Fluke explores how our world really works, driven by strange interactions and random events. How much difference does our decision to hit the snooze button make? Did one couple’s vacation really change the course of the twentieth century? What are the smallest accidents that have tilted the course of history itself?

The mind-bending lessons of this phenomenon challenge our beliefs about the very workings of the world. From the evolution of human biology and natural disasters to the impact of global events on supply chain disruptions, every detail matters because of the web of connectivity that envelops us. So what if, by exploding our illusion of control, we can make better decisions and live happy, fulfilling lives?