Fluke

Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters

By: Brian Klaas

Narrated by: Brian Klaas

This “captivating illustration of the follies of trying to model and forecast the unpredictable world” (Financial Times) is both “empowering” (The New Statesman, UK) and “compelling” (New Scientist) as it challenges our most fundamental assumptions—by social scientist and Atlantic writer Brian Klaas, whom Prospect magazine has named one of the world’s “Top 25 Thinkers.”

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?

In Fluke, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas takes a deep-dive into the phenomenon of random chance and the chaos it can sow, taking aim at most people’s neat and tidy 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.

Critic reviews

"This riveting audiobook will make listeners think more realistically about their day-to-day actions and their inescapable place in the web of causes that make the world what it is."

Not bad —but I was hoping for mote

There are some good parts to this book, but the premise drags out and there are some baseline assumptions — like Darwinism — that are asserted as truth and not explored.

Glad I read it but not my highest recommendation.

Very nice and interesting!

Very well narrated and is a great tool for making life choices. Author's story is well balanced.

Mixed Feelings

I’ve got mixed feelings. I absolutely buy into the main premise of the book and learned quite a bit. I even appreciate the authors style. However, if you are skeptical about the theory of evolution, you will find about half of the book unconvincing. You could say that we agree solidly on the conclusion (life is random, we know less than we think), but disagree on why.

Another outstanding book from Klaas!

The author’s ability to break down complex theories into digestible pieces and his evident love for humanity make this a compelling read (listen).

Makes you think...

Makes you think how an action today was impacted by an action yesterday and how it will impact tomorrow's acttions.