Duncan J. Watts

A narrative exploration of how the concept of common sense is inadequate in today's complex world draws on multiple disciplines to offer insight into the sources of such topics as popularity, economics and self-deception.

Once You Know the Answer

Everything is Obvious

An architect of network theory summarizes his team's endeavor to create a blueprint of the world's networks, citing the scientific elements of the Internet, economies, terrorist organizations, and other knowledge-based groups. Reprint.

Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age

Porque a Mona Lisa é a pintura mais famosa do mundo? Por que o Facebook faz tanto sucesso e outros sites de redes sociais não? Quanto um CEO pode realmente afetar o desempenho de uma empresa? E salários mais altos fazem as pessoas trabalharem mais e com maior dedicação? Se você acha que as respostas a essas perguntas são uma questão de bom senso, pense novamente. Duncan Watts mostra neste livro que as explicações que damos para o que observamos na vida são menos úteis do que parecem e conspiram para nos fazer acreditar que entendemos mais sobre o comportamento humano do que de fato entendemos. Compreender como e quando falha o bom senso, pode melhorar a forma como vivemos o presente e planejamos para o futuro, algo essencial para a política, os negócios, a ciência e a vida cotidiana.

Tudo é óbvio

The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness (Princeton Studies in Complexity)

Small Worlds

La ciencia de las redes en la era del acceso/The Science of a Connected Age (Transiciones / Transitions)

Seis Grados De Separacion / Six Degrees

الدرجات الست وأسرار الشبكات

Albert-László Barabási

Mark Newman

From the Internet to networks of friendship, disease transmission, and even terrorism, the concept--and the reality--of networks has come to pervade modern society. But what exactly is a network? What different types of networks are there? Why are they interesting, and what can they tell us? In recent years, scientists from a range of fields--including mathematics, physics, computer science, sociology, and biology--have been pursuing these questions and building a new "science of networks." This book brings together for the first time a set of seminal articles representing research from across these disciplines. It is an ideal sourcebook for the key research in this fast-growing field. The book is organized into four sections, each preceded by an editors' introduction summarizing its contents and general theme. The first section sets the stage by discussing some of the historical antecedents of contemporary research in the area. From there the book moves to the empirical side of the science of networks before turning to the foundational modeling ideas that have been the focus of much subsequent activity. The book closes by taking the reader to the cutting edge of network science--the relationship between network structure and system dynamics. From network robustness to the spread of disease, this section offers a potpourri of topics on this rapidly expanding frontier of the new science.

The Structure and Dynamics of Networks

The small-world phenomenon states that, soon after meeting a stranger, we are surprised to discover that we are connected through a short chain of acquaintances. This text provides an exploration of the conditions in which a small world can arise.

The Dynamics of Networks Between Order and Randomness

The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness

By understanding how and when common sense fails, we can improve our understanding of the present and better plan for the future. Drawing on the latest scientific research, along with a wealth of historical and contemporary examples, Watts shows how common sense reasoning and history conspire to mislead us into believing that we understand more about the world of human behavior than we do; and in turn, why attempts to predict, manage, or manipulate social and economic systems so often go awry. It seems obvious, for example, that people respond to incentives; yet policy makers and managers alike frequently fail to anticipate how people will respond to the incentives they create. Social trends often seem to be driven by certain influential people; yet marketers have been unable to identify these “influencers” in advance. And although successful products or companies always seem in retrospect to have succeeded because of their unique qualities, predicting the qualities of the next hit product or hot company is notoriously difficult even for experienced professionals. Watts' argument has important implications in politics, business, and marketing, as well as in science and everyday life.

Duncan J. Watts

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