Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
Brian Christian
Griffiths Griffiths
A fascinating exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives.In this dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show us how the simple, precise algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. Modern life is constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? The authors explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others.From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of human memory, Algorithms To Live By is full of practical takeaways to help you solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind.
Copyright (#ulink_c90926a7-7aac-5cdb-829f-e16ef2e946fa)
William Collins
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This eBook first published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2016
First published in the United States by Henry Holt and Company, LLC in 2016
Copyright © 2016 by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths
Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover design by Jonathan Pelham
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Source ISBN: 9780007547999
Ebook Edition © April 2016 ISBN: 9780007547982
Version: 2018-09-27
Dedication (#ulink_957cce7b-b597-5508-8523-748f18b29410)
For our families
Contents
Cover (#u30c6a9d5-97e5-500d-ac4d-de5715b0a98c)
Title Page (#u84ca4e5f-631d-528e-984a-0fbe1edd64f0)
Copyright (#u4de8a3ff-05db-5995-830f-9665d6c586ed)
Dedication (#u8ffcfd7e-a6ca-523c-9625-f01da2c09631)
Introduction (#uf558c97e-3a26-5b18-8ef8-cf786823f90a)
Algorithms to Live By
1 Optimal Stopping
When to Stop Looking
2 Explore/Exploit
The Latest vs. the Greatest
3 Sorting
Making Order
4 Caching
Forget About It
5 Scheduling
First Things First
6 Bayes’s Rule
Predicting the Future
7 Overfitting
When to Think Less
8 Relaxation
Let It Slide
9 Randomness
When to Leave It to Chance
10 Networking
How We Connect
11 Game Theory
The Minds of Others