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Fluke
- Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters
- Narrated by: Dr Brian Klaas
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
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Fluke
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Summary
Why small chance events can divert our lives and change how we think our world works.
If you could rewind your life to the very beginning and then press play, would everything turn out the same?
Or could making an accidental phone call or missing an exit off the highway change not just your life, but history itself?
And would you remain blind to the radically different possible world you unknowingly left behind?
In Fluke, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas dives deeply into the phenomenon of random chance and the chaos it can sow, taking aim at most people's neat and tidy storybook version of reality. The book's argument is that we willfully ignore a bewildering truth: but for a few small changes, our lives - and our societies - could be radically different.
Offering an entirely new lens, Fluke explores how our world really works, driven by strange interactions and apparently random events. How did one couple's vacation cause 100,000 people to die? Does our decision to hit the snooze button in the morning radically alter the trajectory of our lives? And has the evolution of humans been inevitable, or are we simply the product of a series of freak accidents?
Drawing on social science, chaos theory, history, evolutionary biology, and philosophy, Klaas provides a brilliantly fresh look at why things happen - all while providing mind-bending lessons on how we can live smarter, be happier, and lead more fulfilling lives.
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- Agvas
- 27-03-24
You may not understand everything but you can’t put it down either
I won’t pretend to have understood all the theories laid out here, but they have been written and explained in such a good way that I didn’t feel intimidated by the ideas. The opposite, I felt inspired. To reflect, to further research those elements that weren’t familiar to me. And to top it all off, this book was written and read so well, it completely takes over.
All in all, I loved it on too many levels and I look forward to checking out more of Brian Klass’ books.
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- Buying stuff
- 21-02-24
a mind bending journey into the why of almost everything.
if you've ever wondered whether "everything happens for reason" this book is for you. it'll bend you understanding of the world, make you confused, then less confused then you'll wonder if your confusion is all part of a bigger plan... or is it? a great listen. thought provoking and thoroughly interesting.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-03-24
couldn’t turn of….
this was so interesting, thoughtful, and provoking…. we are all significant now a great story of our beautiful universe.
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- Mr Paul Michael Hopkins
- 25-02-24
Very good but fizzled out a bit towards the end
Overall I enjoyed this. It was well read which, when done by the author, always makes it better. It started very good, fascinating insights and put in simpler terms. The last couple of chapters began to drag however and felt like they could have been merged or culled. But overall, recommend.
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- Lauren Marie Burgeno
- 04-02-24
Entertaining & Thought Provoking!
Another well written, easy listening, entertaining and enlightening book from Klaas! In the era of communication by tweet, 10-second video clips and oversimplified news headlines, Fluke presents a timely appraisal of the simple, linear narrative, and the importance of understanding and acknowledging the complexity of the reality behind how events actually unfold. Klaas has a knack for storytelling, interweaving a jaw dropping number of seemingly separate, but nonetheless interdependent historical examples demonstrating how one person’s seemingly innocuous decision to honeymoon in Kyoto, or a child accidentally dropping their ball into the ocean can drastically change the lives of others, and the world as we know it.
Our brains are designed to take shortcuts, convincing ourselves that we understand the relationships between events or decisions and outcomes, ignoring the fact that seemingly minute decisions and random events have played a significant role in shaping the world around us . Fluke clearly articulates through examples in realms ranging from evolutionary biology to social sciences, that by taking this chaos into account we can gain a better understanding of how the world actually works and make better decisions.
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- Miss JH WRIGHT
- 11-03-24
thought provoking
Fascinating throughout and very easy to listen to. May this review cause ripples that change the world.
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- HM
- 30-01-24
Unputdownable (could not stop listening until it got over)
A very good collection of ideas around how life is just a network of flukes, how each of us is a result of infinite happenstances since the Big Bang, and how anything that you do now will contribute to the future of the world into the far future. Excellent writing and great narration.
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- Anonymous User
- 18-03-24
incredibly interesting
Not exactly an easy/relaxing listen, but very thought provoking. I did not expect it, but it deffinitely had n impact on cementing my word view.
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- Mr
- 19-02-24
easy to follow
Good book very clear teaching it gives a good understanding of the subject and aas well read also
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- Anonymous User
- 03-02-24
Brilliant
I admit, it might be my own confirmation biases, but I absolutely loved every word. I was hooked on the author's other book, Corruptible, so I had to preorder this one. And I'm so glad I did. The fact that the author himself was reading it into my ears was a delight on itself. Definitely an A+ book and interpretation.
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