Skip navigation
Infotopia
Book

Infotopia

How Many Minds Produce Knowledge

Oxford UP, 2006 more...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Innovative
  • Engaging

Recommendation

In this delightful book, Cass R. Sunstein offers a cogent, compact and gently witty discussion of information sharing. His explanations of how different knowledge-aggregation processes work are extremely useful. They range from the theoretical (laying out the philosophical structures underpinning deliberation) to the practical (offering focused and specific suggestions for improvement). This certainly isn’t the first book on how groups create knowledge – thinkers have rushed to make sense of the new possibilities that information technology presents. It is, however, one of the more quietly critical approaches, one that debunks extreme claims, points out the dangers that balance the often-trumpeted benefits and shares first-hand experiences. Sunstein is an enthusiast for certain types of collective information processing, but he is far from naïve. getAbstract recommends this book to managers interested in improving organizational decision making.

Take-Aways

  • Individuals have “bits of information” that can benefit the groups to which they belong if they share them.
  • As groups deliberate, they share knowledge through rational discussions.
  • Group decision-making processes are often better than individual ones.

About the Author

Cass R. Sunstein teaches at the University of Chicago Law School. He is the author of Radicals in Robes, Republic.com and other books.