
Counting
How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters
Deborah Stone(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Published on 15. October 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-324-09106-6 (ISBN)
Description
Early in her extraordinary career, Deborah Stone wrote Policy Paradox, a landmark work on politics. Now, in Counting, she revolutionises how we approach numbers and shows how counting shapes the way we see the world. Most of us think of counting as a skill so basic that we see numbers as objective, indisputable facts. Not so, says Stone. In this playful-yet-probing work, Stone reveals the inescapable link between quantifying and classifying, and explains how counting determines almost every facet of our lives-from how we are evaluated at work to how our political opinions are polled to whether we get into higher education or even out of prison. But numbers, Stone insists, need not rule our lives. Especially in this age of big data, Stone's work is a pressing and spirited call to reclaim our authority over numbers, and to take responsibility for how we use them.
Reviews / Votes
"Anyone who believes that 2 x 30 is equal to 3 x 20 is in for a delightful surprise." -- Charles Wheelan "Deborah Stone's inspired book could not be better timed. Endless arguments about how to construct and understand COVID-19 statistics prove her point-ostensibly objective numbers are never neutral. Stone brings to this endeavor her signature brilliance at demystifying daunting topics." -- Robert Kuttner, co-editor of American ProspectMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
1 page of illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-324-09106-6 (9781324091066)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2020
Liveright
€15.49
Available for download
Person
Deborah Stone is a renowned scholar who has taught at Brandeis, MIT, and other universities around the world. Her award-winning book Policy Paradox has captivated readers through three decades, four editions, and six translations-but who's counting? She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.