Outside Reading #5

Stories are important in our lives because they educate our desires. One such example is in Freakonomics. The explanatory note says, "[Levitt] seemed to look at the world not so much as an academic but as a very smart and curious explorer" (XXIV). This book taught me to take the perspective of Levitt and be curious about the world, always wanting to learn more. This mindset was further encouraged by the other sections of the book. The book suggests, "The fear created by commercial experts may not quite rival the fear created by terrorists like the Ku Klux Klan, but the principle is the same" (68). Levitt takes a unique approach to analyzing the world, by looking not at the external properties but more in depth at the root causes of something. This original way of learning about the world and seeing its interconnectedness attracted me and, along with many other books, educated my desires.