Shortlisted for Best Maths Book of 2022 by Chaulkdust Magazine'A brilliant account of how
models are so often abused and of how they should be used' John Kay How do mathematical models
shape our world - and how can we harness their power for good? Models are at the centre of
everything we do. Whether we use them or are simply affected by them they act as metaphors
that help us better understand the increasingly complex problems facing us in the modern world.
Without models we couldn't begin to tackle three of the major challenges facing modern
society: regulation of the economy climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet in recent
years the validity of the models we use has been hotly debated and there has been renewed
awareness of the disastrous consequences when the makers and interpreters of models get things
wrong. Drawing on contemporary examples from finance climate and health policy Erica Thompson
explores what models are why we need them how they work and what happens when they go wrong.
This is not a book that argues we should do away with models but rather that we need to
properly understand how they are constructed - and how some of the assumptions that underlie
the models we use can have significant unintended consequences. Unexpectedly humorous
thought-provoking and passionate this is essential reading for everyone.
