Categories:
Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings
If you know anything about my book, you’ll wonder why I’d use democratic means to select the title. The main answer, of course, is that Econlog readers are the rational voter exception that proves the irrational voter rule!
Here’s my question: Which of the following books would you most like to buy? Please send your votes to the comments section, and let’s see if democracy can work for once. 🙂
Fair warning: I’m not promising to choose the title with the most votes. But I will weigh these results heavily before I make my final choice.
READER COMMENTS
Nathan Whitehead
Feb 8 2006 at 10:41pm
I vote for Myth of the Rational Voter. If you use the winning entry, you absolutely HAVE to put that fact in the preface or somewhere. It’s the supreme irony.
Eli
Feb 8 2006 at 10:43pm
None of the Above!
David Ball
Feb 8 2006 at 10:55pm
Myth of the Rational Voter
Alberich
Feb 8 2006 at 11:19pm
Delusion Pollution
Kyle
Feb 8 2006 at 11:24pm
Myth of the Rational Voter!
Matt McIntosh
Feb 8 2006 at 11:37pm
The Blind Leading the Blind.
Franco
Feb 8 2006 at 11:41pm
The Illogic of Collective Belief
Joshua
Feb 8 2006 at 11:55pm
Wishful Voting or Myth of the Rational Voter.
Rick Gaber
Feb 9 2006 at 12:24am
Only the MYTH OF THE RATIONAL VOTER gave me a gut-wrench the moment I read it. THAT’S the one I’d buy — and I bought Hugh Hewitt’s “If it’s not close, they can’t cheat!”
(Hey, some may call me an Objectivist, but I’m VERY close to my feelings and am QUITE capable of emotive spontaneity — which some find surprising if not disconcerting.)
Paul N
Feb 9 2006 at 12:57am
The Logic of Collective Belief sounds too nerdy for anyone non-academic to read, but I guess it depends on your intended audience (tenure committee?). Delusion Pollution is sort of clever but it seems like it’d probably be over the head of a typical bookstore browser. Myth of the Rational Voter seems like the most accurate title but sort of blah, while the last two seem a bit more exciting if less ingenuous.
I especially like the “Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies” part, but if I had to pick one of the listed ones it would be “Wishful Voting”. How about “Wishful Voting: Why Non-Economists Are to Blame for Bad Policies” 🙂
Venu
Feb 9 2006 at 12:58am
Blind leading the blind
Dave Milovich
Feb 9 2006 at 1:10am
Myth of the Rational Voter.
It’s short yet specific. The other titles all give less information, even though some of them are longer.
Egill
Feb 9 2006 at 2:55am
The Logic of Collective Belief
Kevin
Feb 9 2006 at 3:38am
Blind leading the blind – catchy and relevant
Dan
Feb 9 2006 at 4:14am
The blind leading the blind.
conchis
Feb 9 2006 at 5:00am
I know it’s not on your list, but I’d go for Simple Majorities: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies.
pontus
Feb 9 2006 at 5:22am
Blind Leading the Blind
No doubt! it’s a winner
Stephen W. Stanton
Feb 9 2006 at 8:55am
All the choices seem to slightly miss the mark. I think you want something with a more universal appeal, something that connects and causes an emotional reaction. A title describing an idea is weak. You neeed a title that triggers a visceral memory. One suggestion, the 2000 election.
“Butterfly Ballots and Buggy Voters”
“Hang the Chads! Democracy by the voting-impaired”
“Voter Manipulation (and Delusion)”
Either that, or something a lot mor controversial:
“Democracy of Dunces”
“Can Democracy Work?”
“Lemmings…”
S. Blalock
Feb 9 2006 at 9:01am
Blind Leading the Blind
M. Gillmor
Feb 9 2006 at 9:02am
I vote for a combination of two titles.
The Logic of Collective Belief and the Myth of the Rational Voter
or
The Logic of Collective Belief: The Myth of the Rational Voter
Joe Martin
Feb 9 2006 at 9:09am
Blind Leading the Blind
Matt
Feb 9 2006 at 9:24am
It looks like a dark horse, but I like Wishful Voting.
aaron
Feb 9 2006 at 9:27am
Voting Out of Obligation: How Rock the Vote Mentality Ruined Democratic Politics.
aaron
Feb 9 2006 at 9:35am
Definitely Wishful Voting.
Mythe of the Rational Voter sounds derivative of the whole Kansas voting against their best interests meme. It seems like old news and unoriginal.
Phil
Feb 9 2006 at 9:42am
“Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies.”
Reasoning: it will attract people who never thought about the issue before. They’ll see it on the shelves and think — “what, this SOB is blaming *voter* for bad policies?”
Other titles, like “The Logic of Collective Belief” are a bit dull, and don’t give a good idea what the book is about.
Actually, even “Blind Leading the Blind” is pretty cliche. I guess it’s the “Why Voters are to Blame for Bad Policies” subtitle that I like.
Perry E. Metzger
Feb 9 2006 at 9:46am
“Blind leading the blind” struck me as the most likely to get sales — it is memorable and simple. Many of the other titles are too “academic”.
It also spoke to me the most clearly. The subtitle is necessary though — otherwise browsers will not know what the book is about.
Dan Hill
Feb 9 2006 at 10:21am
Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies
Zac
Feb 9 2006 at 10:23am
Logic of Collective Belief.
You should trust your gut instict more often than not.
Keith Arnaud
Feb 9 2006 at 10:43am
Why are you doing this by votes – can’t Robin Hanson devise an information market to help you name your book ?
Bruce Cleaver
Feb 9 2006 at 10:49am
Definitely Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies.
As others have pointed out, The Illogic of Collective Belief has an arid academic quality about it that will appeal to very few bookstore browsers.
richard
Feb 9 2006 at 11:00am
Myth of the Rational Voter. Possibly with an addendum along the lines of Arnold’s suggestion.
eddie
Feb 9 2006 at 11:56am
Wishful Voting or Blind Leading the Blind, with WV being slightly preferred. BLtB would be preferred if it had a better subtitle – “Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies” would turn me off from a purchase. I agree with Perry Metzger that it needs a subtitle, but I don’t think that one is the one it needs.
I agree wholeheartedly with Stephen W. Stanton’s observations and suggestions.
CS
Feb 9 2006 at 12:08pm
Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies (Al T, with sub-title by me)
Matt
Feb 9 2006 at 12:13pm
I still like “Guess and Don’t Check” followed by a boring subtitle that then explains the book. Back me up people!
meep
Feb 9 2006 at 12:25pm
Myth of the Rational Voter.
I like Blind Leading the Blind, too, but Myth of the Rational Voter sounds more scholarly (coming from a university press and all).
John P.
Feb 9 2006 at 1:10pm
I vote for Wishful Voting. But I think a subtitle would also help a lot.
econ_in_ak
Feb 9 2006 at 1:37pm
Go with Blind leading the Blind and its subtitle.
The ‘Logic of Collective Belief’ is vague (so academics may miss it, or misunderstand your point) and for the regular Joe it might as well be “What of the Coll-whative Wha?”
Peter St. Onge
Feb 9 2006 at 1:44pm
While Logic of Collective Belief’s a great name for an economics audience, seems Blind Leading the Blind or Wishful Voting are best for a general audience, in a Freakonomics/Undercover Economist way; many people may fear the word “logic”.
Gil Guillory
Feb 9 2006 at 1:45pm
Myth of the Rational Voter
Dave
Feb 9 2006 at 1:51pm
In order of “most likely to buy”
1. Myth of the Rational Voter
2. The Logic of Collective Belief
3. Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies
aaron
Feb 9 2006 at 1:54pm
Wait… your holding a vote to name a book about why voting doesn’t work?
Robert Cote
Feb 9 2006 at 2:46pm
Collective Belief, The Myth of Rational Democracy
I don’t like the word “logic” for many reasons including the high degree of probability (SD+/- 3.0, rsquare 95% confidence) that it might be misidentified as a computational & logic book. I don’t like “voter” for the populist connotation that it might be just another politcial tell-all paperback.
Jason Colorado
Feb 9 2006 at 3:27pm
The Logic of Collective Belief: The Myth of the Rational Voter
sourcreamus
Feb 9 2006 at 3:56pm
Blind leading the blind
Sheila
Feb 9 2006 at 4:07pm
Logic of Collective Belief instantly made me think of The Wisdom of Crowds. Makes it sound like your book is a rehash of that one.
I vote for Myth of the Rational Voter.
Nigel Kearney
Feb 9 2006 at 4:31pm
The Blind Leading the Blind.
Anonymous22
Feb 9 2006 at 5:40pm
I vote for “The logic of collective belief”, mainly because I used to be an objectivist and find the word “collectivism” to evoke all sorts of yucky epistemology.
Al T
Feb 9 2006 at 6:19pm
I’d really like that Morton’s dinner so I’m going to vote for Blind Leading the Blind. Altough since you’ve supplied the subtitle I guess I’m going to pay half. 🙂
al boyers
Feb 9 2006 at 6:45pm
My recommendation would be a permutation :
” THE COLLECTIVE LOGIC OF INDIVIDUAL BELIEF “
Dr. T
Feb 9 2006 at 7:35pm
The Logic of Collective Belief does not work for me, because I never felt that the collective was or is logical.
Delusion Pollution sounds like a psychology book.
Myth of the Rational Voter also does not work for me, since I never held the belief that there were many rational voters.
Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies is my favorite, since that comes closest summarizes the situation. (My own nomination is: Selfish Leading the Panderers: Why Voters Are to Blame for Rising Costs (and Greater Corruption) of Government.)
Wishful Voting does not seem like a correct reading of why people vote in certain ways.
liberty
Feb 9 2006 at 7:38pm
Myth of the Rational Voter.
It just sounds best, easy to understand, etc.
Arnold Kriegbaum
Feb 9 2006 at 10:09pm
Blind leading the blind
Bill
Feb 9 2006 at 11:03pm
Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies
Alcibiades
Feb 10 2006 at 12:25am
Someone may have mentioned this above me, but the fact is, insofar as you, Bryan, have final say as to the title, you’re not using “democratic means” at all. You’ve got the final say, and can overrule us even 100% of us vote for a particular title.
Best of luck in the book market, Bryan, truly.
Butter
Feb 10 2006 at 2:00pm
Myth of the Rational Voter. And I like Arnold’s subtitle as well. He’s correct that the “Logic of Collective Belief” is much too insiderish and would probably scare off some potential readers.
Riley
Feb 10 2006 at 9:35pm
Simple Majorities: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies — As mentioned above, it’s not on your list, but is the best in my mind. Short, catchy, and democracy related, with an informative subtitle, this one is most likely to attract the average person’s attention.
Blind Leading the Blind: Why Voters Are to Blame for Bad Policies — This is the catchiest of the ones listed by you, although a little generic.
The Myth of the Rational Voter — Best of the scholarly titles.
Andrew Lasey
Feb 10 2006 at 11:38pm
Myth of the Rational Voter ! Catchy, simple, but serious depth.
Mike Rappaport
Feb 11 2006 at 12:40am
The Myth of the Rational Voter — For what it is worth, I don’t think any of the others are even close.
Anthony Smith
Feb 11 2006 at 1:08am
Blind Leading the Blind (mostly because I agree with the subtitle).
Ronny Max
Feb 14 2006 at 12:10pm
Myth of the Rational Voter sound best, but the most important aspect of a book’s name is what the author is trying to say. Each name implies a different premise.
Daniel Klein
Feb 15 2006 at 12:30pm
Garbage In, Garbage Out: An Economic Critique of Politics
Meryn
Feb 15 2006 at 2:39pm
1. The blind leading the blind. — most catchy, engates, intrigues
2. The logic of collective belief — most ‘academic’, helps prove/signal the owners literacy to others.
‘The Myth of the Rational Voter’ would be more appropriate as title for an article. (maybe a review of your book?)
‘Delusion polution’ and ‘wishful voting’ don’t say much to me.
Meryn
Feb 15 2006 at 2:44pm
As M. Gillmor writes, “The Logic of Collective Belief: The Myth of the Rational Voter” would also be nice. It’s a full sounding title combined with a more telling subtitle. For such a complicated issue, I think there should be subtitle on the cover.
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