Freakonomics

 What sources of evidence do the Freakonomics authors most rely on? Why is this innovative?


Freakonomics examined the problems we face around us in different lens than what we are use to. What you think, true really is not.  The authors of Freakonomics prove their theories by using surveys, statistics and conducting experiments. These sources of evidence are the most reliable and most accurate when trying to prove something. For example in the movie they conducted an experiment on how does a persons name effect them in the working world?  They did this by submitting the same resume to the company but from two different people to apply for a job. One individual with a primarily black name and another with a primarily white name. The experiment resulted in the white man getting a callback 5 weeks before the black man. Showing that someone’s name can bring about assumptions and characterizations.

How do the Freakonomics authors address the "correlation versus causation" issue? Do they pretend correlation IS causation?


The authors in Freakonomics prove that some correlation is causation. In the movie they show how something so little or something that had occurred in the past can affect the future. That is true in some cases. They proved this by bringing up the matter of the crime rate going down. Many would say that this is due to the works of the governor and the police. While the authors of Freakonomis believe it was because of the result of Roe v. Wade where abortion was made legal. They felt that the crime rate has gone down because all the unwanted kids, who are believed to be the ones who are the burdens of society, aren’t born. A point of view that is strange never looked at but than quite interesting.

Statement: Freakonomics serves as an inspiration and good example to our attempt to explore the "hidden-in-plain-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices.

Freakonomics serves as a prime example and inspiration to uncovering the wierdness and the actions of people in our society. people are acustom to others doing thinking for them. the news and the media dictate they way people think and where there point of views are directed. whereas Freakonomics brings up different possible causes of the way people act and how the world is around us that many do not know or think of.this connects to our food unit because you can say the reason why Americans are so accustom to eating "unhealthy" is because of the industrialization of Fast food in the early 1900's. another point we look at is our eating habits and social practices are reflected off of economic class and home life. correlation, causation.