Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing
Jamie Holmes
New York: Crown Publishers, 2015
The very real perils and consequences of jumping to conclusions, of feeling total certainty and confidence, and the power of being able to handle ambiguity. (John Keats called this “Negative capability,” and he saw it most vividly in Shakespeare’s writing.) Told through a series of case studies ranging from the workplace to personal life. If our modern condition is one of unpredictability and increasing complexity, Holmes’ lessons for “how to deal with what we don’t understand” are particularly urgent.
This book is part of the 2017 Berkeley Summer Reading List. Stay tuned for more weekly posts!