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Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan
Jun. 22nd, 2013 12:48 amThe Blurb On The Back:
In this controversial and eye-opening book, distinguished businesswoman and writer, Margaret Heffernan, examines the phenomenon of wilful blindness in all its forms: in history, in science, in business, in government and in the family.
Heffernan takes as her starting point the 2006 case of the US Government vs Enron where those in charge failed to observe the corruption which was unfolding before their very eyes, but where not knowing was no defence. The guilty verdict sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world and beyond. More recently, bankers and governments were wilfully blind to the looming financial crisis. However, in our own lives too, we can also be guilty of overlooking what is right in front of us, whether in the office or at home – with potentially disastrous consequences.
Drawing on a wide array of sources from psychological studies to interviews with the people involved she examines what it is about human nature which makes us so prone to wilful blindness. And she examines why whistleblowers and Cassandras are so ordinary and yet so very rare.
Thought provoking and supremely relevant, this is a book which none of us can afford to ignore.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Margaret Heffernan’s book is a useful overview of the psychological processes that can make an individual wilfully blind to the obvious. The author does well at summarising psychological studies to support her arguments but, for me, does less well at applying those studies to real world scenarios. This is partly because the scenarios are dealt with too superficially, with Heffernan only interviewing one witness/participant to back up her theory. It’s an interesting read and plenty of footnotes for those who want to go on and read more on the subject. For me though, it works more as a nutshell than as a definitive guide and I don’t think the author succeeds in making her case.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy of this book.
In this controversial and eye-opening book, distinguished businesswoman and writer, Margaret Heffernan, examines the phenomenon of wilful blindness in all its forms: in history, in science, in business, in government and in the family.
Heffernan takes as her starting point the 2006 case of the US Government vs Enron where those in charge failed to observe the corruption which was unfolding before their very eyes, but where not knowing was no defence. The guilty verdict sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world and beyond. More recently, bankers and governments were wilfully blind to the looming financial crisis. However, in our own lives too, we can also be guilty of overlooking what is right in front of us, whether in the office or at home – with potentially disastrous consequences.
Drawing on a wide array of sources from psychological studies to interviews with the people involved she examines what it is about human nature which makes us so prone to wilful blindness. And she examines why whistleblowers and Cassandras are so ordinary and yet so very rare.
Thought provoking and supremely relevant, this is a book which none of us can afford to ignore.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Margaret Heffernan’s book is a useful overview of the psychological processes that can make an individual wilfully blind to the obvious. The author does well at summarising psychological studies to support her arguments but, for me, does less well at applying those studies to real world scenarios. This is partly because the scenarios are dealt with too superficially, with Heffernan only interviewing one witness/participant to back up her theory. It’s an interesting read and plenty of footnotes for those who want to go on and read more on the subject. For me though, it works more as a nutshell than as a definitive guide and I don’t think the author succeeds in making her case.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy of this book.
