Too Much Information

Understanding What You Don’t Want to Know

By: Cass R. Sunstein

Narrated by: Tristan Morris

The best-selling author and recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize, Cass R. Sunstein, explores how more information can make us happy or miserable, and why we sometimes avoid it - but sometimes seek it out.

How much information is too much? Do we need to know how many calories are in the giant vat of popcorn that we bought on our way into the movie theater? Do we want to know if we are genetically predisposed to a certain disease? Can we do anything useful with next week's weather forecast for Paris if we are not in Paris? In Too Much Information, Cass Sunstein examines the effects of information on our lives. Policymakers emphasize "the right to know", but Sunstein takes a different perspective, arguing that the focus should be on human well-being and what information contributes to it. Government should require companies, employers, hospitals, and others to disclose information not because of a general "right to know" but when the information in question would significantly improve people's lives.

©2020 Cass R. Sunstein (P)2020 Tantor

Wasted potential

The idea for this book is promising. Unfortunately it is completely wasted. Instead of getting to the point and being relevant, the author looses the point and just rambles on with one technicality after another, like someone working at the technical department of some state regulatory board that handles campaigns on information to citizens on various subjects. It is so boring, technical, unimportant and pointless that I honestly cannot name a single point of the entire book. Even the chapter on facebook, which could potentially be very interesting was ruined after very few sentences.

On top of that the narration is so very annoying with the guy talking like his voice is riding a rollercoaster, unmotivated ups and downs. Just could not listen to it.

Very disappointing.