Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters
- Downloads：9902
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2024-01-25 03:21:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brian Klaas
- ISBN：1668006529
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lena
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When I stumbled upon the summary of Fluke on Snackz。ai， I thought， "Hey， this looks cool， but there's gotta be more to it， this one I have to read completely。"And guess what？ I was right！Diving into the book was like opening a treasure chest of "what-ifs。"It’s wild how Klaas shows that tiny， random stuff， like missing a phone call， can totally flip our world upside down。 It’s like， one little thing changes， and boom – everything’s different。 This book makes you see things in a whole new way， way When I stumbled upon the summary of Fluke on Snackz。ai， I thought， "Hey， this looks cool， but there's gotta be more to it， this one I have to read completely。"And guess what？ I was right！Diving into the book was like opening a treasure chest of "what-ifs。"It’s wild how Klaas shows that tiny， random stuff， like missing a phone call， can totally flip our world upside down。 It’s like， one little thing changes， and boom – everything’s different。 This book makes you see things in a whole new way， way beyond just a summary。But， why only four stars？Well， here’s the thing。 Sometimes Klaas goes super deep into all these science-y and history things， and it gets kinda heavy。It's like he's juggling a lot of big ideas， and sometimes you wish he'd just chill a bit and make it easier to get the point。 But don’t get me wrong， it’s still a pretty awesome read。 It’s packed with crazy stories and mind-blowing ideas that make you think， “Wow， life’s pretty random， huh？” Definitely worth checking out， especially if you're into thinking about the "what could have been" kind of stuff。 。。。more
Maudaevee
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I enjoyed everything about this book。 It was full of so many interesting stories that gave me much to think about。 I will definitely be talking about/ recommending this book to everyone I know this year 😆 I did when an ARC in a goodreads giveaway， thank you。
Peter Tillman
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An interesting excerpt from the book:https://www。theatlantic。com/internati。。。Sample:"The 21st century has been defined by unexpected shocks—major upheavals that have upended the world many of us have known and made our lives feel like the playthings of chaos。 Every few years comes a black swan–style event: September 11， the financial crisis， the Arab Spring， Brexit， the election of Donald Trump， the coronavirus pandemic， wars in Ukraine and Gaza。 Even daily life can feel like a roll of the dice: An interesting excerpt from the book:https://www。theatlantic。com/internati。。。Sample:"The 21st century has been defined by unexpected shocks—major upheavals that have upended the world many of us have known and made our lives feel like the playthings of chaos。 Every few years comes a black swan–style event: September 11， the financial crisis， the Arab Spring， Brexit， the election of Donald Trump， the coronavirus pandemic， wars in Ukraine and Gaza。 Even daily life can feel like a roll of the dice: With regularity， some Americans go to school， the grocery store， church， a concert， or the movies and get gunned down in a random act of mass murder。" 。。。more
Kirsten
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https://www。theatlantic。com/internati。。。 https://www。theatlantic。com/internati。。。 。。。more
Bonny
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In No Country for Old Men， Cormac McCarthy wrote “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from。” I've considered that on several occasions in my life， but after reading Fluke I may have to consider that luck might not even exist。 The author wonders "whether the history of humanity is just an endless， but futile， struggle to impose order， certainty， and rationality onto a world defined by disorder， chance， and chaos。” Klaas opens the book with the story of how Hiroshima and Nag In No Country for Old Men， Cormac McCarthy wrote “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from。” I've considered that on several occasions in my life， but after reading Fluke I may have to consider that luck might not even exist。 The author wonders "whether the history of humanity is just an endless， but futile， struggle to impose order， certainty， and rationality onto a world defined by disorder， chance， and chaos。” Klaas opens the book with the story of how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen to be bombed， and it comes down to the fact that Henry Stimson， US Secretary of War， had visited Kyoto and took that city off the list so Hiroshima was bombed instead。 Clouds covered Kokura which had been the target of the second atomic bomb but cleared over Nagasaki at the last possible moment。 The many examples in the book can mess with our views of "everything happens for a reason" and be a bit disconcerting。 Klaas writes that "the natural world seems to seesaw between contingency and convergence。" "Convergence is the “everything happens for a reason” school of evolutionary biology。 Contingency is the “stuff happens” theory。" It turns out that very little is in our direct control and that idea is somewhat freeing。 Klaas is not recommending that we all just wait in bed for stuff to happen to us because in a world full of flukes and random occurrences， we can still have an effect: “What you do matters。 But it also matters that it's you， and not somebody else， who's doing it。” Fluke provides a readable， interesting way to think about （and maybe even better understand） our infinitely complex world and our role in it。Thank you to Scribner and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this book。 It will be published on January 23， 2024。 。。。more
Adam Valavanis
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Pulling from a diverse set of examples， including the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki， dog breeds， economic and meteorological forecasts， and geological events from millennia ago， Klaas explains how individuals， along with infinite other factors， help shape and are themselves shaped by the world we inhabit。 'Fluke' presents complex scientific and philosophical debates about topics such as free will， chaos theory， and quantum mechanics in an approachable manner， while simultaneously chall Pulling from a diverse set of examples， including the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki， dog breeds， economic and meteorological forecasts， and geological events from millennia ago， Klaas explains how individuals， along with infinite other factors， help shape and are themselves shaped by the world we inhabit。 'Fluke' presents complex scientific and philosophical debates about topics such as free will， chaos theory， and quantum mechanics in an approachable manner， while simultaneously challenging assumed notions about the degree of control we exercise over our lives。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Sophie
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'Fluke' by Brian Klaas is an immersive journey through life’s intricate unpredictably and the profound influence of chance on our very existence。 Klaas delves into the subject matter by covering a wide array of topics and themes， spanning from sociology and politics to philosophy and physics， basically offering refreshing views and food for thought for readers from all corners of society and academia。The book challenges our perceived control over life， revealing how seemingly inconsequential eve 'Fluke' by Brian Klaas is an immersive journey through life’s intricate unpredictably and the profound influence of chance on our very existence。 Klaas delves into the subject matter by covering a wide array of topics and themes， spanning from sociology and politics to philosophy and physics， basically offering refreshing views and food for thought for readers from all corners of society and academia。The book challenges our perceived control over life， revealing how seemingly inconsequential events can spiral into monumental shifts， leaving us humbled by the fragile nature of our existence。 This is done by， on the one hand， liberating us from the illusion of complete control over our lives and systems and， on the other hand， by highlighting the effects human agency can have on major political， societal and more general life events。 The opening story of the book goes ahead and illustrates the randomness of major political events very well by referring to the story of H。L。 Stimson， America’s former Secretary of War， who played a pivotal role in the nuclear bombings of Japan during WWII “a relic that marks a chain of events in which one man ultimately played God， sparing 100，000 lives while condemning a similar number to death elsewhere”。Another positive and refreshing aspect of this book are Klaas’ personal anecdotes and illustrations he recurrently includes， which personalize and humanize his ideas by adding personal narratives to the applied concepts。 Klaas’ very existence is subject to a horrific event that had happened to his great-grandfather， which includes the killings of almost an entire family， “a chain-link past， and if the past had been even marginally different， （h）e would not be here”， just like the rest of us。It is not very often that you come across an author who is able to weave complex， as well as simple ideas into an understandable prosa。 Brian Klaas’ skill in simplifying complex ideas for easy comprehension is admirable， allowing readers to delve into intricate subjects with clarity and understanding。 Overall， Fluke is a treasure trove of intriguing facts and ideas， poised to reshape our perspectives on life’s （un）predictability and then again， to embrace it。 I very much enjoyed reading it - it is in many ways different to his previous book “Corruptible: who gets power and how it changes us”， but the one thing they both have in common is: they do not disappoint and will make you close the book having gained a new outlook on life and things。For anyone seeking a thought-provoking and transformative read that invites you to reconsider life amidst its inherent unpredictability， chance and human agency， 'Fluke' is an absolute must-read。 。。。more
Alisa
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Brian Klaas makes a case for randomness in his book Fluke。 He explains how most people want to feel they are in charge of their lives， but maybe we cannot always control our lives。 Randomness really does make a difference to all of us。 There is an old saying “man makes plans and God laughs”。 Klaas makes a good case for how little control we really have over our lives by using examples and logic。 Chaos or randomness is definitely a factor。 He tells a story of a man who loves Monet ties。 He was gi Brian Klaas makes a case for randomness in his book Fluke。 He explains how most people want to feel they are in charge of their lives， but maybe we cannot always control our lives。 Randomness really does make a difference to all of us。 There is an old saying “man makes plans and God laughs”。 Klaas makes a good case for how little control we really have over our lives by using examples and logic。 Chaos or randomness is definitely a factor。 He tells a story of a man who loves Monet ties。 He was giving a seminar and before it started， someone gave him a lovely Monet tie。 He wanted to wear the tie， but it would clash with the shirt he was wearing so he went back to his hotel to put on a different shirt。 Meanwhile， disaster struck at the seminar location。 It may be hard for some people to accept， we tell our children their lives are the results of their choices。 Make good ones and life is good。 I think both can be true。 Sometimes “bad things happen to good people”。 Fluke is an interesting and worthwhile discussion of our role in our own lives。 We have control to a great extent， but Klaas writes that we are really just able to do and be what we do and are because of all that came before。 If the events of previous times had not happened as they did， our lives would be forever different maybe in small ways or maybe in major ways。 That is where the Fluke comes in。Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy to read and review。 。。。more
Beverly Guy
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Full disclosure: I entered a giveaway for this book because I expected to disagree with it but was drawn to understand the concepts at its core。 I enjoy reading intelligent viewpoints that seem contrary to my own and was excited to win a copy。 And， as I read， I found some unexpected common ground between my worldview and that of the author。The book centers around the idea that we can't control anything， but that， because the tiniest detail can dramatically alter the future， we can influence ever Full disclosure: I entered a giveaway for this book because I expected to disagree with it but was drawn to understand the concepts at its core。 I enjoy reading intelligent viewpoints that seem contrary to my own and was excited to win a copy。 And， as I read， I found some unexpected common ground between my worldview and that of the author。The book centers around the idea that we can't control anything， but that， because the tiniest detail can dramatically alter the future， we can influence everything。 Fluke does an excellent job making the case that we humans are not nearly as in control as we think and that some much of what we think we can control or explain is in fact out of our control and beyond our understanding。 Klaas approaches the topic from numerous angles--from physics to philosophy--and presents each in a way that's readable and understandable。 The numerous stories and examples he weaves into each chapter help to make this an enjoyable read and give faces to his proposals。The idea that we are not in control is， as Klass concludes， freeing。 And it's remarkably compatible with my worldview as someone who believes in a sovereign God。 Though I， unlike the author， conclude by looking at the world around me that the universe came to be by design （and in fact reading about some of the things he presents as flukes strengthened my belief in this design）， wresting with Klaas about my lack of control was still a beneficial process。Side note for others of faith: I'm always a bit hesitant to read books written from the assumption that evolutionary biology is proven fact for fear that I'll find my beliefs vilified or ridiculed。 I didn't sense that from this book。 While Klaas obviously doesn't believe in a sovereign God， the few times he mentions religion， he talks about it matter-of-factly and in a way that's charitable toward those who believe。 。。。more
Connie
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#GoodreadsGiveaway
Tucker
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We care about what happens to people we know， and they — we tend to believe — must have played a role in the event。 This is how we form narratives， including the narrative of our own agency。But anything can change the course of our lives。 A cloud moves， and a plane doesn’t take off or changes its flight path。 We know that chance occurrences make a difference in the outcome， yet we resist this notion， partly because it seems unfair。 Some people live， others die， due to luck？ We might as well say We care about what happens to people we know， and they — we tend to believe — must have played a role in the event。 This is how we form narratives， including the narrative of our own agency。But anything can change the course of our lives。 A cloud moves， and a plane doesn’t take off or changes its flight path。 We know that chance occurrences make a difference in the outcome， yet we resist this notion， partly because it seems unfair。 Some people live， others die， due to luck？ We might as well say they were saved or destroyed for no reason at all。“We want a rational explanation to make sense of the chaos of life，” Brian Klaas writes。 And to a large extent， we tune out what we believe is noise。 Yet how else does the future get made？If your parents hadn’t met， you wouldn’t be here。 The same is true for your ancestors， all the way back。"We are the offshoots of a sometimes wonderful， sometimes deeply flawed past，" he writes， and "our existence is bewilderingly fragile， built upon the shakiest of foundations。"When we look for a cause， we often see a fluke。 It’s not the meaning we originally hoped for。 But it’s something unexpected and unrepeatable， and we can embrace it。Elegantly readable。 I received a free advance copy from NetGalley。 I wrote more on Medium （unpaywalled friend link）。 。。。more
Cari
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