Conventional wisdom
FREAKONOMICS is at heart a challenge to conventional wisdom. The authors regard conventional wisdom as something to be wary of and questioned.
Write an essay on the subject of conventional wisdom in three parts:
What is conventional wisdom? How did the term “conventional wisdom” become part of everyday speech? According to the authors, why is conventional wisdom comforting to people? What purpose does it serve?
Why do the authors find it so important to challenge conventional wisdom? What does conventional wisdom add to common discourse, and does it help explain the world?
Analyze one of the topics of any chapter in the book. What conventional wisdom are the authors challenging? How are they challenging it, and what conclusion do they reach?