Liars and Outliers

How does society function when you can’t trust everyone?

When we think about trust, we naturally think about personal relationships or bank vaults. That’s too narrow. Trust is much broader, and much more important. Nothing in society works without trust. It’s the foundation of communities, commerce, democracy – everything. 

In this insightful and entertaining book, Schneier weaves together ideas from across the social and biological sciences and technologies to explain how society induces trust. He shows how trust works and fails in social settings, communities, organizations, countries, and the world. 

In today’s hyper-connected society, understanding the mechanisms of trust is as important as understanding electricity was a century ago. Issues of trust and security are critical to solving problems as diverse as corporate responsibility, global warming, and our moribund political system. After listening to Liars and Outliers, you’ll think about social problems, large and small, differently. 

About the author: Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist who studies the human side of security. He is the author of 11 books, and hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, and is regularly quoted in the press. His blog and monthly newsletter at www.schneier.com reach over devoted 250,000 devoted readers world-wide.