Liars and Outliers - by Bruce Schneier

Book Synopsis

In today's hyper-connected society, understanding the mechanisms of trust is crucial. Issues of trust are critical to solving problems as diverse as corporate responsibility, global warming, and the political system. In this insightful and entertaining book, Schneier weaves together ideas from across the social and biological sciences to explain how society induces trust. He shows the unique role of trust in facilitating and stabilizing human society. He discusses why and how trust has evolved, why it works the way it does, and the ways the information society is changing everything.

From the Back Cover

Praise for LIARS & OUTLIERS

"Without trust, nothing can be achieved. Liars and Outliers is a brilliant analysis of the role of trust in society and business."
--Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

"Schneier absolutely understands how profoundly trust oils the wheels of business and of daily life."
--Margaret Heffernan, Author of Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future and Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes

"Liars and Outliers is an absolutely fascinating and groundbreaking book. While written years before AI, which is often seen as a catch-all to solve all of humanity's problems, Schneier compellingly shows that in our complex society, there are no simple solutions."
--Ben Rothke, Senior Information Security Manager, Tapad

"Brilliantly dissects, classifies, and orders the social dimension of security-a spectacularly palatable tonic against today's incoherent and dangerous flailing in the face of threats from terrorism to financial fraud."
--Cory Doctorow, Author of Little Brother and Makers, Co-editor of BoingBoing.net

"Trust is the sine qua non of the networked age and trust is predicated on security. Bruce Schneier's expansive and readable work is rich with insights that can help us make our shrinking world a better one."
--Don Tapscott, Co-author of Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World

Review Quotes

"One of the best books I've read this year is by a security technologist, Bruce Schneier. In Liars and Outliers, he sets out to investigate how trust works in society and in business, how it is betrayed and the degree to which technology changes all of that, for the better or the worse. Schneier absolutely understands how profoundly trust oils the wheels of business and of daily life." (Margaret Heffernan, CBS MoneyWatch)

"This book will appeal not only to customers interested in computer security but also on the idea of security and trust as a whole in society." (The Bookseller, 16th December 2011)

"This book should be read by anyone in a leadership role, whether they're in the corporate or political sphere... an easy read and the ideas and thoughts are profound." (Naked Security, February 2012)

"By concentrating on the human angle and packing the book with real world examples he has successfully stretched its appeal outside that of the security specialist to the more general reader." (E & T Magazine, March 2012)

About the Author

BRUCE SCHNEIER is an internationally renowned security technologist who studies the human side of security. A prolific author, he has written hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers, as well as fourteen books that together have sold more than 400,000 copies. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, and is regularly quoted in the press.