The random factor : how chance and luck profoundly shape our lives and the world around us / Mark Robert Rank.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rank, Mark R., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fortune.

Random variables.

Serendipity.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2024.

Summary:

Upending notions of predictability and rugged individualism to reveal how truly random the world is. It's comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard, climb ladders, and get what we deserve, but each of us has been profoundly touched by randomness. Chance is shown to play a crucial role in shaping outcomes across history, throughout the natural world, and in our everyday lives. In The Random Factor, Mark Robert Rank draws from a wealth of evidence, including interviews and research, to explain how luck and chance play out and reveals how we can use these lessons to guide our personal lives and public policies. The Random Factor traverses luck from macro to micro, from events like the Cuban Missile Crisis to our personal encounters and relationships. From his perspective as a scholar of poverty, Rank also delves into the class and race dynamics of chance, emphasizing the stark disparities it brings to light. This transformative book prompts a new understanding of the twists and turns in our daily lives and encourages readers to fully appreciate the surprising world of randomness in which we live.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyrights

Contents

1. The Wheel of Fortune

I. The World Around Us

2. The Arc of History

3. The Natural World

4. Luck in Everyday Life

II. The Patterns of Our Lives

5. The Lottery of Birth

6. Who, What, Where, and When

7. Shortcuts, Detours, and Forks in the Road

III. Lessons Learned

8. Retooling Policies

9. Reflecting and Assessing

10. Our Unpredictable Companion

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-520-39097-0

OCLC:

1419062429