Critical Analysis of Freakonomics by Dubner and Levitt

Subject: Freakonomics is built upon Steven Levitt’s underlying belief: “the modern world is not impenetrable, it is not unknowable, and if the right questions are asked- is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Levitt explains the world is a complicated universe, making it hard to navigate for some. In Freakonomics, Levitt tells the reader to look at the world in a different perspective to understand it’s inner-working. Different from most books, Freakonomics does not contain one unifying theme throughout the book; instead, fundamental ideas are periodically introduced, teaching readers to think economically. The authors present these main ideas through stories, research, data, simulations, and personal anecdotes. Readers learn economics is the study of incentives, explaining the reasoning behind one’s actions and mentality. Secondly Dubner and Levitt explain conventional wisdom can be misleading; instead credible data should be used to explore concepts and determine the truth. Next, Levitt explains the methodology of careful study, determining the direct translation between cause and effect. Finally, the importance of correct economic measurement is discussed to allow for success. Freakonomics uses historic information to uncover the causes of observed behavior and teaches readers how to deeply investigate the world.

Occasion: Freakonomics was published on April 12th, 2005 by William Morrow. During this decade there were large advancements with the internet, allowing for faster communication and globalization. There was also a large economic growth for most nations which resulted in many social, financial, and environmental consequences. Pop culture was also a very impactful aspect of this time period, resulting in an integration of culture into the book. Levitt and Dubner never imagined write a book like Freakonomics, nor did they imagine collaborating together. In the summer of 2003, “The New York Times sent Dubner, an author and journalist, to write a profile of Steven D. Levitt, a heralded young economist at the University of Chicago”. Dubner was extremely impressed by Levitt and his intriguing ideas and the two had become close. Publishers in New York City told Levitt he should write a book, Levitt wasn't a writer so declined, but instead proposed “maybe Dubner and I can do it together”. Within the two years the book was written, edited, and published for the public who automatically fell in love.

Audience: Through Dubner and Levitt’s collaboration and exposure their ideas began interesting many people around the world. “Levitt’s blazing curiosity also proved attractive to thousands of New York Times readers. He was beset by questions and queries, riddles, and requests”. Readers were continuously engaged in their articles, keeping up with newest columns, and sending them their own queries. This support system was reassuring for the two authors as people liked their work and wanted more. Freakonomics was not intended for a certain audience, instead the authors believed the book would be “a feast for anyone wanting to know how the world really works”. The two creators originally thought they would sell only 80 copies, but they were definitely proved as it became a worldwide best seller. As of today over 5 million copies have been sold in 40 different languages, the book created great interest among the entire public, readers ranging from young to old.

Purpose: Levitt has a very unique and quizzical mind, inspiring his investigation and exploration of riddles the world faces every day. When writing their book, Dubner and Levitt aspired to examine basic topics to discover the meaning of modern life. Dubner and Levitt state their purpose of “stripping a layer or two from the surface of modern life and seeing what is happening underneath”. In the book this simple statement is taken to another dimension after Dubner and Levitt teach readers to ask quizzical questions and ponder the relations between different aspects of life. Levitt’s key message about conventional wisdom teaches the reader to see through the misleading information. Levitt explains this exercise can be quite frustrating; reasoning, “it may sometimes feel we are peering at the world through a straw…, but the idea is to look at many different scenarios and examine them in a way they have rarely been examined before”. Levitt and Dubner strive to alter the mind of the reader to become more curious and explain techniques to help the reader understand the world in a different way.

Speaker: Dubner and Levitt were both very intellectual characters each bringing different qualities to the table, making their collaboration so successful. As described by Colin Camerer and many others who agree, “Levitt is considered a demigod, one of the most creative people in economics and maybe in all social science”. Levitt is an extremely successful economist because of his uniqueness, inventiveness, and taking economics in a new and completely different way. He has won the John Bates Clark Medal as he “proved to be such an ingenious researcher and clear-eyed thinker”. Dubner is an award winning author, journalist, and he hosts his own podcast which gets 15 million monthly downloads. He worked Dunber is an extremely successful man and was inspired by Levitt. In their partnership Dubner could easily take Levitt’s thoughts and translate them onto paper. Both men are intellectuals and act as role models for readers as they are successful and have a different perspective on the world.

Tone: Throughout the entirety of Freakonomics the authors maintain an informative yet neutral tone, inviting the reader to find pleasure and interest in the book. The author’s tone changes depending on the topic being discussed as more emotion is involved. Levitt and Dubner investigate the black-white gap in society in hopes of determining the root cause of this issue. Within this section the author’s use many different words and phrases to apply different emotions into their writing. Some phrases contain a hopeful undertone to lift the readers spirits: “This is an encouraging finding on two front” (Levitt and Dubner 166). The authors also include sarcasm to create more dimension in their writing: “Great news, right? Well not so fast”. Words and phrases with negative connotations are used to create a sadness and empathy: “...the gap is very real: on average, black children are still scoring worse, Worse yet”. The author’s use of rhetoric to create a better experience for readers when they read Freakonomics as it hooks their attention and engages them with the text.