
McRaney's blog turned book is the most self-deprecating entry on the list — each chapter names a bias, explains the research, and shows how the author himself falls for it. The format is reductive but effective for readers who want a broad survey without the weight of the primary sources.
Chosen by shared topics, the entries that hold them, and the people who recommended both.
Why people mistake luck for skill, above all in markets.
“Fooled by Randomness is a serious, intellectually sophisticated book, well worth reading carefully. At times, the book is condescending. Nevertheless, there are some great insights.” — Barton Biggs
Source: Biggs on a sophisticated book worth reading carefully
Recommended by: Barton Biggs, Michael Mauboussin and 11 others
Experiments from psychology showing the systematic errors in how people reason.
Tavris and Aronson focus on what happens after a bias fires: the self-justification, narrative revision, and escalating commitment that follow. Cognitive dissonance, they argue, is not a personality flaw but a universal mechanism, and understanding it explains police misconduct, political tribalism, and therapy failures in a single framework.
Recommended by: Mohnish Pabrai, Nat Eliason and 2 others
Kahneman died 27 March 2024; this was his last book.
Speeches making the case for a latticework of mental models from many fields.
“…books I've recommended, highlighted to death, or forced on friends.” — Andrew Wilkinson
Source: Andrew Wilkinson's Bookshelf, neverenough.com
Recommended by: Andrew Wilkinson, Charlie Munger and 26 others
Experiments showing most cheating is many people cheating a little.
Recommended by: Mohnish Pabrai
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